Education Colombia Project #51798

EDUCATION & SPORTS FOR KIDS IN COLOMBIAN WAR ZONE

by Fundacion Conect Vision

EDUCATION & SPORTS FOR KIDS IN COLOMBIAN WAR ZONE

Project Report | Jan 16, 2024
SUMMARY OF VITAL PROGRAM ACTIVITIES IN 2023

By Clara Sofia Baez Higuera | Legal Representative

We are pleased to share the summary of activities and achievements during the year 2023, a result of the teamwork among field staff, administrative personnel, and, of course, our invaluable community of donors with the essential support from GlobalGiving.
Our work in this conflict-ridden area in southern Colombia is a constant and yet highly rewarding challenge. We witness a transformation in the lives of many children and young beneficiaries of the VITAL program, who, despite living under the threat of various social scourges, find opportunities through our educational and sports programs. These initiatives are helping them adopt a change in attitude and mentality towards themselves, enabling them to face life differently than they are accustomed to. This, in turn, is fostering a positive social change.

EDUCATION

Regarding the "Life Project" educational program for students in grades 6 to 11, we reached 3,800 children and young people in the schools Ciudad de Asís and Alvernia. The program has sparked significant interest among young people in setting personal goals and objectives. They particularly appreciate the interactive methods employed, as it engages them in discussions about ethics and moral values without the boredom associated with traditional approaches. Furthermore, directors and teachers have responded positively, noting notable results, especially among those students who have ingressed to university and achieved improved grades in the ICFES state tests.

Parents and academic coordinators express deep gratitude for the program's content and methodology within the VITAL program. It has successfully motivated children to focus on moral values, a crucial emphasis in this conflict zone heavily impacted by drug trafficking and armed groups. In 2024, we plan to continue the program under the name "Construyendo mi Proyecto de Vida" (Building my Life Project).

SCHOOL REINFORCEMENT

In the area of school reinforcement, we provided weekly classes in mathematical logic, English, reading comprehension and moral values to 250 children and young people from Puerto Asis and 18 villages of the "Puerto Vega - Teteyé Corridor". Parents expressed their deep gratitude for VITAL's school reinforcement classes, recognizing the significant impact on their children's lives. The education provided in rural schools is often precarious, so these additional classes are invaluable. In addition, sports training serves as a motivational tool, keeping students engaged and away from the social scourges prevalent in their environment.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP INITIATIVE

As for the handicrafts classes, 50 children and young people attended weekly. The instructors have been beneficiaries of the VITAL program since 2009, when they were teenagers. Now, as adults, they have decided to give back everything they received during those years of training at VITAL for the benefit of Putumayo's children and youth. They currently run a company that markets the handicrafts they teach the children to make. We hope that the example set by this young couple will inspire many children and youth in Putumayo to embrace entrepreneurship.

SOCCER PROGRAM UPDATE

Regarding the soccer program through our club FC VITAL, we served approximately 350 children and young people in Puerto Asis and the surrounding villages, including Cañaveral, La Cabaña 40, Campo Alegre, and Teteye, between January and August. Unfortunately, in August, due to security concerns arising from the presence of illegal groups, we were compelled to discontinue the program in the "Puerto Vega - Teteye" area. Currently, our focus is on serving 150 children and young people in Puerto Asis. Ensuring the safety of our team is crucial for the continued success of the VITAL program in this conflict zone.

In June 2023, our U16 category became champions in the schools' championship in Puerto Asis. They not only secured the departmental championship but also represented Putumayo in the national championship "Copa bom bom bum" in Tulua (Valle) in July, where they reached the semifinals. Participation in the departmental championship opened opportunities for two of our players, who were selected for the Putumayo national team. Additionally, we achieved success in various tournaments in the municipality of Puerto Asis with the U10 and U12 categories. At the beginning of 2023, we sent seven players for tryouts at soccer academies in different cities, contributing to their potential development.

We utilize sports as a motivational tool to instill discipline and encourage participation in our educational programs, encompassing both academic and values training. This aligns with our overarching goal of nurturing these children and young people to become happy, responsible adults who contribute positively to society.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

In 2023, educational workshops were conducted to raise awareness among children and youth about environmental sustainability in the Colombian Amazon. The focus was on fostering appreciation for the local land and introducing them to various Amazonian fruits. Despite their lack of familiarity, this knowledge is valued in other countries. Recognizing the need for further education, the VITAL program plans to expand in 2024, incorporating environmental sustainability. The goal is to inspire children and youth to value and care for their region, fostering a mindset that explores alternative, environmentally friendly sources of income beyond coca cultivation.

We express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every individual who has made the continued existence of the VITAL program possible in 2023 through their generous donations. Additionally, we extend our appreciation to GlobalGiving for the support they provided during the campaigns. As we embark on the journey of 2024, we do so with great love and hope, anticipating the continuation of our collaborative efforts to make a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of children and youth in this area of Colombia that is in such great need.

Thank you!

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Aug 28, 2023
FC VITAL IN ITS FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

By Clara Sofia Baez Higuera | Legal Representative

The VITAL program continues weekly with great strength and enthusiasm, impacting the lives of 3,300 children and youth.

We share with you an achievement regarding the impact of our FC VITAL sports program, which benefits 300 children and young people weekly:

Our U16 players, had for the first time the opportunity to participate in a national championship, organized by one of the strongest companies in Colombia, as they were the champions of the department and traveled to another city to represent Putumayo. It is the first time that a soccer school from Putumayo reaches a national championship. In the championship they came in second place in the quarterfinals and were the team that stood out for their fair play, for which they were congratulated and 6 of them were invited to try out for a soccer seedbed, of which 3 have been awarded scholarships in a soccer club in Cali.

It is worth noting that Putumayo is a department in the south of Colombia where a lot of coca is planted, so children and young people see in the collection of coca their most possible source of income, which leads many to get involved in illicit activities with cocaine. The children of FC VITAL live mostly in villages and many have to walk long distances even through the jungle to get to training, as their dream is to become professional soccer players; for this reason FC VITAL represents a very positive alternative to channel their energy and provide opportunities for them to glimpse a different future than they have seen in their ancestors for generations.

Regarding the educational program, we are impacting the lives of 3,000 students from 6th to 11th grades, in the schools where we are working in the vocational psycho-technical program "Life Project". The feedback has been very positive and the students, teachers and directors of the educational institutions are very happy with the results. Many children who answered that they wanted to be drug traffickers when they grow up, are changing their mentality and now see that there are other options. Many children dream of going to college and becoming professionals to help their families. Parents and school administrators comment that the kids now have a goal and purpose and are calmer and better behaved.

Thanks to GlobalGiving and all the donors who make this possible. Together we achieve more. God bless you.

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Apr 28, 2023
VITAL CONTINUES TO SOW SEEDS OF HOPE

By Clara Sofia Baez Higuera | Legal Representative

Between January and April 2023, the VITAL program has impacted the lives of 1.500 children and young people, 1.250 of them through the teaching of values and life projects in 3 schools in Puerto Asis and we have continued with soccer training for 250 children from Puerto Asis and the villages on the other side of the Putumayo River, who also receive education in values and school reinforcement. We also offer them handicraft classes, with voluntary assistance, to encourage them to become entrepreneurs.

We have started training for a group of 40 children and young people, children of former combatants in the process of reincorporation into society, who live in the territorial space assigned to them by the government.

Our soccer club FC VITAL, has participated this year in the inter-school championship of Puerto Asis with the U10 and U12 categories and in the National Championship "BonBonBum" with the U16 category, being in the latter as departmental champions to represent Putumayo.

In February we sent 3 youngsters from the villages to Bonner Mosquera's professional soccer school in Bogotá.

We delivered books and didactic material to a home for early childhood children from low-income families.

One of the social scourges that most threaten the children and young people of Putumayo is recruitment by armed groups and drug traffickers. Likewise, the situation of coca cultivation in large proportions in this area of Colombia means that many children participate in the process of cocaine collection and production and many even traffic in cocaine, and all this means that for many of them their aspiration is to become drug traffickers when they become adults.
It is a great challenge to give them education in values and provide them with opportunities through sports, so that they can envision a different future.

Thanks to all those who believe in this program and support it to make possible a change in this society, we continue with faith, trust and love, working to offer a better future to the children and young people of Putumayo-Colombia.

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!

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