Melissa Jaimes Ochoa is a journalist based in Quibdó (Chocó), where she writes for Colombia Plural, an independent reporting project that gives voice to indigenous communities. Her work focuses on issues affecting the region's afrodescendiente communities, women's rights and civic engagement. A social activist at heart, Ochoa's goal is to help construct Chocó's written history by telling the stories of communities neglected by mainstream media. At the United Nations, she is interested in reporting on the Organization's efforts to support the peace process between the Government and the FARC, and in particular, on what it is doing to protect the rural communities of Chocó, which continue to suffer from ongoing conflict in their territory.