In 2018 the institutions participating in the Special Projects supported by the Luker Foundation continued to contribute to improving the living conditions of very vulnerable communities in the city along with the efforts of many other entities, the articulation of a large number of initiatives and the contribution of benefactors of social causes ensuring their continuity over time.

Thanks to the legacy of our principal benefactor, Miss Inés Restrepo, in 2018, we supported 15 institutions that work in the city for early childhood, the elderly, people with disabilities and children, young people and adults in poverty and high vulnerability. Those institutions mainly offer housing, health, inclusion and elderly programs, which benefited more than 2,300 people in Manizales.

In 2018 some of the supported projects stand out:

Gestar futuro

It is an alliance program that promotes a comprehensive care model during the first thousand days of children's lives, intended to control the low birth weight and chronic malnutrition of children under 2 years.0

This project, which has reached 460 mothers and children since 2013 (more than 1,500 direct and indirect beneficiaries), shows significant progress in reducing child malnutrition. The second cohort that finished the intervention in 2018, shows the following results:

• 45 of 50 babies were born with adequate weight (WHO).
• All babies with low birth weight evolved satisfactorily.
• 46 of 50 children with adequate nutritional status at two years.
• 63% of the children received exclusive breastfeeding.

Gestar Futuro was selected by Save the Children, among 16 experiences, as one of the 4 most representative nationwide to guarantee better conditions in maternal and child health and nutrition within the framework of the Gen project for a healthful childhood led by Éxito Foundation.

Me Cuido Activo Manizales
(I actively care for myself Manizales)

Colombia is aging rapidly and a model of community care for older people in the country still does not exist. Understanding such challenge from the country perspective, but also as one of the cities with the largest older population in Colombia, we partnered with the Saldarriaga Concha Foundation to implement the first pilot of its model of care based on active aging, with a community approach: Me Cuido Activo Manizales.

The model is developed thanks to the alliance between Universidad Autónoma de Manizales, Universidad de Caldas, Alberto Arango Restrepo Corporation, - CEDER, Manizales Mayor’s Office, Actuar Microempresas and Saldarriaga Concha Foundation.

The following stands out from the evaluation of beneficiaries of the pilot program:

• Participants state to live increasingly calmed. They say that the learnings have helped them improve relationships, establish better ways of communication and deal with daily life conflicts.
• Older adults report feeling more recognized within the social spaces wherein they participate.
• The promotion of healthy habits helped them value their passage through life and face the changes of old age positively.