Cooperativa CREAFAM in Colombia is a social foundation that engages in cooperative practices to disseminate joint educational services, family integration, development work, as well as the promotion of social initiatives by entrusting a focus on solidarity entrepreneurship and recreation, in favor of shaping integral human beings to uplift local communities and social resilience.
Within its work and social efforts, CREAFAM works to augment the well-being of local communities in Colombia, by following engrained cooperative values and strategic goals for long term solution-based impact. As part of their more eventful activities to carry out their vision, the social foundation is committed to continue to provide regular recreational, academic, cultural and ecological activities, alongside efforts to imprint social impact through inter-institutional agreements that allow less well-off individuals access to social benefits, enhancing their ability to escalate welfare gaps and find their place in an inherently divisive society.
Our Partnership
CREAFAM has been our partner since 2018, and together we provide Social and Financial Education to children and the youth. The foundation has been using our Aflatoun curriculum and in light of our recent Aflatoun Day celebration, CREAFAM organised activities for children to ultimately discover the virtues of environmental well-being. As part of the Sustainability Challenge 2023 during Aflatoun Day, CREAFAM promoted a local initiative with a focus on sustainable finance, the responsible management of resources and the considerations of long-term social, economic and financial sustainability in financial decisions. Read more about them and their initiative!
An Entrepreneurial Culture of Sowing the Seeds Together
In tune with the foundation’s entrepreneurial culture and Aflatoun’s running theme of “Sowing the Seeds of Your Future”, the community organised an activity that emphasized to the children and the youth, the importance of hard work, diligence and dedication to obtain fruitful results, in harmony with environmental preservation, reducing, reusing and recycling resources. ‘
The activity was developed in cooperation with 20 other agencies in the territory of Antioch, Colombia, reaching 480 boys and girls, as well as teenagers and parents. The event enabled active participation from all members of the community, involved in pottery and planting seeds. At the same time, the space facilitated a joint effort to make sure everyone felt included in the process and at the end, there were many generated high expectations to see the first blooming results of their own planted seeds.
As an awareness-raising exercise, love for nature and increased self-esteem were instilled, with their different styles, tastes and according to every child and member’s abilities. Likewise, with enthusiasm and in the company of the teachers, a tour of the ecological trail was conducted in which they received guidance from the coordinators and the director of CREAFAM on the characteristics of the ecosystem and some of the strategies to conserve these spaces.
Among the results reported, the facilitators shared the evidence accumulated from participants on the importance of planting and the yielded satisfaction of receiving fruits. The children also showed interest not only in planting but also in the care of the seeds. Moreover, the event was followed by a feedback session in which some participants reflected on the importance of having healthy financial habits and a personal commitment to strengthening informed financial decisions. The young people also shared through personal experiences, the importance of helping others, of getting involved with the social complexities on the ground. This led many participants to experience the fruit social and financial education curricula and the foundation’s cooperative and solidarity culture.
Moreover, this initiative empowered and inspired leadership in the most immediate spaces and environments. Very significant ideas, comments and narratives were generated about the importance of the latter in the care of resources, the environment and the community’s ecosystem.
Participants reflected and showed understanding of the importance of saving and caring for the environment, generated commitments with the seeds planted and committed to contribute to the household economy and other growing initiatives for long term solution-based impact.
