On March 16, 1997, at 4 am a woman knocked on my door advising me that I had to leave immediately, because "they" were coming to get me at around 8 am.

I left all my belongings and headed towards San José de Apartadó. Along the way, I was warned that the town center was full of military so I stayed in a house nearby for some weeks. Later that month, the peace community was founded and I became a member. In 2005 we had to displace again, for fear of violence. At the end of that year my daughter was killed.

Today, I am 60 years old and I express myself through storytelling and paintings; I am still committed to the vision of the Peace Community and I continue to fight for nonviolence.

Brigida is just one story, in one community, in one part of Colombia. Her displacement happened over 10 years ago. As we write today, 784 other Colombians will live through this very same story: flee their homes, abandon their belongings, and separate from their family to escape the threat of death. They will join nearly five million violently displaced people. Colombia now stands just behind Sudan as the world's second largest internal displacement crisis.

Why don't we hear more about this humanitarian catastrophe?

This year, as part of the National Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia, we are asking you to help put a face on Colombia's displacement crisis.

We are hoping you can take some time, gather together with your family and friends and take part in this creative project. Forty displaced Colombians have shared with us their powerful photos and harrowing stories of what it means to be displaced.

By hosting a Face the Displaced party or gathering, you and your guests have the opportunity to learn from these stories while framing each photo with a message to President Obama, asking the Administration for policies that would alleviate rather than exacerbate Colombia's crisis.

We've put all the materials together for you. In this organizing packet, you will find a fact sheet, instructions of how to create portraits of displaced Colombians (see example at right) and flyers. The finished portraits will then be publicly displayed in demonstrations and vigils across the country. Later, all the portraits will be sent to Washington, D.C. for one final, massive display and to be presented in person to representatives of the Obama Administration.

View the organizing packet now.

Please forward this email widely to spread the word. You can also join our Facebook group to help spread the word.

We'll need as many Face the Displaced gatherings as possible this month to gain policy changes that prove meaningful to Colombia's displaced millions.