First Visit to Fundacion Creciendo Unidos

At the start of the 2008, Stichting Colombia Activa visited the Foundation Growing Up Together (Fundación Creciendo Unidos). During the visit, an agreement to support the acquisition of new typical dance customs and a new computer was made official. Kids and staff of the foundation dedicated one afternoon to express their gratitude to Stichting Colombia Activa and its supporters in the Netherlands. See videos. Hopefully we will have pictures and videos of the execution of this project this January, after a new visit in the first days of December.

Brief intro to Fundacion Creciendo Unidos:
Originally founded in Bogotá in 1986, Fundación Creciendo Unidos (CU) is a non-profit organization advocating for the rights of children as healthy, educated, and well-rounded human beings. The organization has participated in the “Coalition Against Children’s Recruitment into Illegal Armed Groups” and has been outspoken against child labor. Fundación Creciendo Unidos tries to bring the problems of Colombia’s children to the forefront of the country’s social consciousness.

In CU’s three houses in Bogotá and one in Cúcuta, the organization offers a wide variety of programs including various workshops geared towards school reinforcement and vocational readiness. Each year over 3,000 children from ages 8 to 18 enjoy school tutoring as well as workshops in carpentry, leatherwork, computer assistance and bread making with the hope of mastering these skills for future employment. The organization’s specialized technical curricula for its trainings have won the recognition of the Secretary of Education.