Algunos de los productos elaborados por los participantes en los talleres de capacitación profesional de la iglesia colombiana. Foto: IELCO
Lutheran church offers skills’ training in handicrafts, theater, sign language
(LWI) – When 32-year-old Edward Aníbal Sandoval first joined a jewelry-making workshop in Colombia’s capital Bogotá, his goal was to fulfil his strong desire to build a more independent future. What he found was something larger—a community that listens, believes in his potential, and values his participation and contribution. Aníbal, who is deaf, is among dozens of participants in a project led by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia (IELCO) with support from The Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
The initiative, “Strengthening and Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Faith Communities from a Psychosocial and Spiritual Approach,” creates spaces where people with hearing, cognitive or physical disability can improve their skills or venture into new fields. The goal is to improve their quality of life and economic independence. The project includes psychosocial and spiritual support, which is also extended to the participants’ families and caregivers. Aníbal is among the more than 50 people who had taken part in workshops on jewelry-making, leatherwork, tailoring, theater, dance, and Colombian sign language, between January and June 2025.
For 26-year-old Zoe Katinkag Leal Bossa, also deaf, the project began as a learning opportunity and became a path to leadership. After joining as first-time participant, she gradually improved her skills and is now a sign language instructor. Her story illustrates how inclusion can multiply: by empowering one person, others are encouraged to step forward and lead.
Daniel Sebastián Ojeda, who has speech difficulties, used sign language to thank the organizers for the leatherwork training which, he said, “gives us a chance to work and move forward with our lives.”
The workshops bring together young adults, teenagers, and caregivers—creating an intergenerational and gender-balanced community. Parents participate actively, finding in these gatherings both support and solidarity. Participants come from Bogotá and other regions of Colombia, some as migrants or displaced persons, enriching the project’s diversity.
The range of workshops is broad and diverse: leather goods, clothing, self-care and beauty, Colombian sign language, jewelry and crafts, theatre and dance, as well as psychosocial and spiritual care. In addition, participants engage in workshops to build self-esteem, sessions on sexual and reproductive rights, and gender equality training.
In this project, IELCO works in partnership with other faith-based organizations, government entities, and civil society. The training workshops apply participatory and faith-rooted methods such as popular education and contextual Bible study to foster confidence, strengthen advocacy, and community participation.
The workshops bring together young adults, teenagers, and caregivers—creating an intergenerational and gender-balanced community. Photo: IELCO
As the project coordinators prepare to market the items produced in the different workshops, each step brings the participants closer to the shared objective of acquiring new strategies to become more autonomous in their personal and social life.
Celebrating different gifts and contributions
In its resolution on the rights of persons with disabilities, the LWF Thirteenth Assembly noted that inclusion of persons with disabilities within churches and societies requires specific measures and allocation of resources. The governing body called on the Communion Office “to develop strategies to improve and mainstream disability inclusion” in LWF’s work.
In the LWF we believe that vibrant communities celebrate the gifts and contributions of all
Rebekka Meissner, LWF Program Executive for Member Church Projects
“It is encouraging to see how the Colombian church initiative has enriched the wider community by including the leadership and contributions of people with different abilities,” noted Rebekka Meissner, LWF Program Executive for Member Church Projects. “In the LWF we believe that vibrant communities celebrate the gifts and contributions of all,” she added.
LWF Member church projects around the world demonstrate the Lutheran communion’s commitment to empowering communities and strengthening churches through locally rooted and contextually relevant initiatives. The current deadline for member churches to submit proposals for long-term project support is 6 January 2026.
