Inclusion for People with Disabilities in Colombia

After a very successful experience with the last Training activity realized in the month of August where the efforts focused on the development of skills for Job Search and the use of basic ICT tools of people with hearing disabilities, and we achieved that 20 people obtained their certificates, create their resumes and even have realjob interviews; our channels and social networks were getting more and more comments and requests of people interested in taking similar training.

We propose ourselves then to have a fourth activity this year and keep exploring the possibilities of the alliance with Comfenalco, a local entity focused on education and employment services that also has several spaces in the city of Medellín, among libraries, community centers and classrooms that allow realization of activities, and works as the main link to the Public Employment Service (Servicio Público de Empleo), the governmental initiative that allows people to access job offers in the public sector that also promotes policies of inclusion and incorporation of the workforce of people with disabilities in the private sector and works across the country. With our strategy focused in this alliance we contacted this unit of the Ministry of Work, a key partner, and were able to keep working with them.

This allows us to host this training in of one of the most beautiful spaces in the city, symbol of the transformation and investment in education developed in recent years: The Belen Library Park. Located west of the city is also the main office of the Public Employment Service and has conventional and digital classrooms, an auditorium, a documentation center, reading rooms, among other services. Two sessions were developed in October 11 and 16 with a total of 6 hours of training. One more time, we had the accompaniment of the facilitator Alejandra Serna, who guided all the contents in the Colombian sign language and we were able to achieve that 6 people with hearing impairment strengthen the use and appropriation of technological tools for the registration and search of employment, through Tools that facilitate their communication and their interaction with hearing people.

It should also be noted that the activity coincided with the visit to the city of Medellin of world leaders and social entrepreneurs from Echoing Green who met for their Annual Fellows Conference. This Global Organization selected MAKAIA as one of the most outstanding social experiences of Colombia selected us for a "Site visit" where a group of 15 Fellows got to know MAKAIA's work and see this project up close. Taking advantage of the potential of this visit to find new supporters or spokespersons and using the donations received, MAKAIA hosted the visit in the Library Park and reached two translators (Sign Language – Spanish, Spanish- English) that help the beneficiaries communicate their own ideas and opinions to the guests of Echoing Green, interacting this way in a more personal and close way. We also prepared a material that presented the initiative and invited the Fellows to learn Sign Language and donate to our cause. The impressions were very positive and helped to strengthen the diffusion and community engagement with the initiative. 

For the group of participants, this training process was a learning experience, with personal and professional achievements that encouraging them to use of technology as a everyday tool, believing in their own capacities and identifying the organizations that can help them find job opportunities, as well as a global community that support them keeps working to create spaces and access to those opportunities.

Thanks to all the people who make it possible!