Genesis Foundation (Colombia)
The Genesis Foundation is a non profit organization that looks to improve the quality of education for under-served children in the country of Colombia. In order to accomplish this goal, Genesis partners with various organizations in Colombia to create sustainable programs.
Background
The Genesis Foundation began with a single donation of $10,000 from a group of notable Colombian business leaders, with the goal of giving back to the communities in which they lived and worked, both in Colombia and the United States. Initially, the Foundation was a source of charitable funding for various local organizations that focused on health and educational intervention.
In 2010, the Genesis Foundation began to focus solely on improving education in Colombia. The Foundation opened a new office in Bogota, in an effort to oversee and support its programs more directly. This year also marked the start of two large-scale macro-projects, funded by the Genesis Endowment.[1]
Mission
Genesis Foundation supports successful programs aimed at enhancing quality education with the purpose of providing underserved Colombian children the opportunities to fully develop and succeed, contributing to a more equal society.[2]
Educational Challenge in Colombia:
- More than one million children do not attend school[3]
- 1 out of 2 Colombians in school today will not graduate from high school[4]
- 7 out of 100 Colombians do not know how to read or write[5]
- 14% of children suffer from malnutrition[6]
Methods
Annually, Genesis awards at least $1 million in grants to non-profit organizations that provide education services to children up to 18 years old.
Intervention Lines
1. Early Childhood Education: The Genesis Foundation focuses its efforts on children up to the age of six. 2. Pedagogical Strengthening: The Genesis Foundation supports programs that train teachers in more effective and innovative classroom practices. 3. Public Policy: The Genesis Foundation partners with the Colombian government as well as several non-profit organizations based out of Colombia in order to support a quality of education consistent with world-wide standards.
Pillars
The following five pillars reflect the goals of the Genesis Foundation. Every project is designed with these five basic values in mind.
- Training and curriculum development: Transform not only the way that children learn, but also the way that teachers teach.
- Long term partnerships: The Genesis Foundation does not directly execute the programs. Instead, it provides support to various partner organizations in Colombia that have a strong stake and interest in the success of these ventures.
- Leveraging funds: Programs are supported not only by funds from the Genesis Foundation, but also through local, national, and international sources of funding.
- Influence on Public Policy: Information and innovations developed in the Genesis Foundation's programs are not kept secret. Information is shared among other organizations in an attempt to promote cooperation and overall improvement of public education policy.
- Replicable, measurable and sustainable: The Genesis Foundation develops projects with the goals of replicating them throughout the region, and in such a way that the partner organizations will eventually be able to sustain the programs independently.[7]
References
- ↑ "History". Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ↑ "Mission". Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ↑ Informe de Progreso Educativo Colombia 2006 - Hay Avances, pero quedan Desafios. PREAL, Corpoeducacion, Fundacion Corona, Empresarios por la Educacion. Colombia December 2006
- ↑ Situación de la Educación Preescolar, Basica, Media y Superior en Colombia - Segunda Edicion. Corpoeducacion: Fernandes, Isabel; Villa, Leonardo; Castano Mesa, Lina; Diaz Matajira, Luis. Proyecto Educacion Compromiso de Todos. Colombia April 2006
- ↑ Informe de Progreso Educativo Colombia 2006 - Hay Avances, pero quedan Desafios. PREAL, Corpoeducacion, Fundacion Corona, Empresarios por la Educacion. Colombia December 2006
- ↑ "Mapa del Hambre" del Programa Mundial de Alimentos. www.wfp.org
- ↑ "What We Do and How We Do It". Retrieved 31 January 2012.