Colsubsidio has been awarded in the social environment category at the Andesco Sustainability Awards 2024 for its innovative project “Inclusive Initial Education, Recognizing Diversity.”
In accordance with the criteria of
This project aims to provide pedagogical and care experiences with a differential approach, contributing to closing social gaps. Between 2020 and 2024, 941 children with diverse disabilities and 851 children from indigenous communities have benefited through social gardens and comprehensive preschool programs in Bogotá and Cundinamarca.
With a team of indigenous educators and specialists, they create respectful and flexible learning environments, seeking to preserve their cultures, customs, and languages through their participation in the educational context. Permanent meetings are also held with indigenous councils and their governors, ensuring harmonious transitions as part of their integration into the formal school system.
Diana Quintero, the professional responsible for the processes of indigenous inclusion in Bogotá’s Comprehensive Preschool program, emphasizes that from the strategy-building processes, it is aimed to ensure that the symbolic and historical dimension is fundamental for indigenous peoples. It is highlighted that it is crucial for Colsubsidio’s teachers to implement pedagogical strategies that include the native language, allowing children to enhance their oral expression and ritual practices.
Additionally, Paula Irene Bernal, pedagogical leader of Colsubsidio’s social gardens network, emphasizes that the training provided to the entire interdisciplinary team has been fundamental to raise awareness among parents and teachers about the importance of ensuring that students with disabilities deserve the same opportunities as those without.
“And seeing that the children are happy playing, that they can make friends, families began to open their hearts to inclusion,” Bernal assures.
And seeing that the children are happy playing, that they can make friends, families began to open their hearts to inclusion.
This year’s recognition not only highlights the leadership and innovation of the compensation fund in the educational sector, but also generates new opportunities for collaboration and strategic partnerships. Colsubsidio aims to continue strengthening this program, working with families and communities of the beneficiaries of the initial education programs in Bogotá and Cundinamarca, to contribute to equitable and quality education.
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