In 2017, we supported 11 institutions leading social projects in the city in nutrition, housing, health, inclusion, and for the elderly. Nearly 1,400 people of our city were benefited through these projects.

Highlights

• The Gestar Futuro program won the Award for Child Nutrition in the Institutional category, granted by the Éxito Foundation as a recognition to the positive impact on the nutrition and health of children in their first 1000 days

• The model of care with an active aging approach, which is being piloted in Manizales, allows joining efforts from different institutions around this subject and opens the possibility to consolidate a model that can be replicated in other contexts benefiting the elderly people of the country.

Some of the supported projects are mentioned below:

Gestar futuro

The program provides integral assistance to young and adolescent expectant mothers under vulnerable conditions in order to ensure the healthy growth of children, as well as their potential intelligence, creativity, and emotional and physical development.

This alliance is made up of foundations such as Nutrir, Éxito, Luker, the Secretariat of Health of Manizales and the Corporación Sagrada Familia; born in 2015 to give continuity to Alimentamor.

Highlights

• The alliance has been renewed, allowing to replicate the model and impact on the quality of life from early childhood in our city. 180 expectant mothers and their families were benefited (over 1000 direct and indirect beneficiaries).

• Low weight at birth has been controlled and chronic undernutrition has been reduced in children under 2 years of age (BPN consolidated 3 cohorts of the program: 8 % - Manizales BPN 2016: 9.5% / consolidated Chronic Undernutrition 2 cohorts of the program: 8.9% - Manizales Chronic Undernutrition 2016: 10.6%)

• Maternal breastfeeding has been conceived as a basic element, and its promotion in the program has impacted directly on the children’s ability to grow healthy (consolidated 3 cohorts of the program 64% - Manizales 2014: 36.7%)

• The reinforcement of the family affective bond, relationship and communication, as well as the life project of expectant mothers has allowed to generate healthier family environments with better conditions for the development of the children.

Innovations

• GESTAR has become a reference in the promotion of friendly spaces for maternal breastfeeding in the city.

• The incorporation of a psychological line into the program has enabled both family and individual assistance to participants from a psycho-social viewpoint, helping to strengthen their life projects and improve their family relationships.

“Me Cuido Activo Manizales” Elderly pilot program

Manizales was chosen to test the pilot model of care developed by the Saldarriaga Concha Foundation, aimed at strengthening relationships and care environments for elderly people.

The setting of an inter-institutional alliance allowed for the startup of this pilot (Saldarriaga Concha Foundation, Ceder, Actuar Microempresas, Universidad de Caldas, Universidad Autónoma, Luker Foundation, and the Mayoralty of Manizales).

Highlights

• The participation in the pilot of 75 adults belonging to groups with very different conditions and characteristics enriches the process of evaluation and provides the possibility to plan different strategies for these populations.

• The possibility to consolidate a model to be used in our city and replicated in other contexts.

Innovations

• The project enhances the traditional idea of care, incorporating activities favoring a dignified and active old age, and includes previous successful experiences in an integrated model.

• The development of new work methodologies with elderly people has delivered significant learnings those who participate in the process.

San Sebastían de Betania community project

The social project developed six years ago with the community near the priority interest housing project in San Sebastián has been consolidated thanks to an alliance formed by Betania Social Works, Universidad Católica de Manizales, Bolívar Davivienda Foundation, Once Caldas, Archdiocese Food Bank, Pastoral House, Nutrir Foundation, and Luker Foundation, and to the reinforcement of the community processes, which have generated capabilities and empowered the people.

Highlights

• Over 400 people of the community participate each year in the different initiatives in nutrition, recreation and leisure, participation and coexistence, working with the elderly, school accompaniment and reinforcement, and income generation.

• The project with the elderly has allowed them to strengthen their social skills, secure networks, and achieve empowerment within their social and family spaces.

• The consolidation of proposals such as the dance group, soccer school, and pedagogical support, have allowed maintaining integral education processes with the children and youth of the commune and offering them an alternative and sound occupation during their free time.

Opportunities

• Organizing the project with other initiatives developed in the commune by other social organizations, such as the Mayoralty, would greatly boost the impact on the community.

• The development of a proposal for youth involvement in community processes and the construction of peace in the commune.

• Generation of other alternatives for the education for work, strengthening skills and competencies among the population, aiming to improve their life conditions.