Some facts about the country
Along the Caribbean coast of Colombia, an essentially rural region, there are large livestock farms and large agricultural farms. The main focus is on the development of large-scale farming and cattle breeding for commercial purposes. The rate of food production for local needs is inadequate, endangering the local population, which for the most part does not have sufficient income. In addition, few young people have access to quality secondary education and there is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness about their power to break the cycle of poverty. In the face of these circumstances, many young people join illegal armed groups or move to urban centers in the region and beyond looking for work or to continue their education. Aware of this social reality, FUNDAEC systematically explores an approach to social and economic development that builds the confidence and ability of young people to become agents of positive social change in their local community.
Our partner
Founded in 1974 and recognized as an NGO since 1989, FUNDAEC (Fundación para la Aplicación y Enseñanza de las Ciencias, or the Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences in English) is the oldest organization with which Unity Foundation collaborates. For more than 40 years, FUNDAEC has dedicated itself to creating capacity within local populations to enable them to carry out action and research related to the various processes that make up their social, economic, and cultural life.
At the heart of FUNDAEC’s efforts lies the conviction that knowledge plays a central role in the development of a population, and that communities should not only have access to information, but also participate fully in the generation and application of knowledge.
To this end, FUNDAEC has developed over the years the SAT program (Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial, or System for Tutorial Learning in English), based on a series of textbooks that on the one hand bring together elements of knowledge from diverse fields in a way that proves relevant to the reality of students in rural areas in Colombia, and on the other hand constitute the result of the systematization of the new knowledge being generated by the other learning processes that have been set in motion in the region. Those who take part in their study and learn to apply the knowledge acquired contribute in turn to generating knowledge, and new lessons learned through collective action can continue to be systematized by this program.
To respond to the interest shown in SAT by an increasing number of organizations around the world, FUNDAEC has modified some of its curricular elements and created in the middle of the 2000s a program called Preparation for Social Action (PSA), offered as an informal educational program – a program that Unity Foundation has been funding in Colombia since 2008.
Goals
During the duration of the framework agreement (2018-2021), FUNDAEC will seek to develop a large pool of human resources and strong coordination structures, which will lay the foundations for the future expansion of the PSA program in the region. Here are some of the numerical goals of the project:
- 15 formed trainers of tutors,
- 20 new PSA program formed tutors to reach a total of 60 active tutors,
- 800 students enrolled in the PSA program and 500 graduates at the end of the 4-year project, or a total of 1300 students participating in the program.
Updates & stories from the field
LINES OF ACTION
Preparation for Social Action (PSA) program
LOCATION
Department of Córdoba
PARTNER
FUNDAEC (Fundación para la Aplicación y Enseñanza de las Ciencias)
COLLABORATION WITH UNITY FOUNDATION
Since 2008
DURATION
Framework agreement “accord-cadre” 2018-2021
TOTAL BUDGET
€ 401,650.00
