Casa de la Infancia and Urban 95 ‘Crezco con mi barrio’

Casa de la Infancia and Urban 95 ‘Crezco con mi barrio’

Photo credit: Yemail Arquitectura

Casa de la Infancia and Urban 95 ‘Crezco con mi barrio’;

ground-breaking work on early childhood development in Colombia

Ciudad Bolivar (Bolivar City) is a large urban area on the southern edge of Bogotá. To call it a suburb would imply a level of order and formality that would misrepresent the reality, for Ciudad Bolivar was established through the migration of large numbers of people to Bogotá under circumstances that were far from orderly. People came who were displaced from their homes during the armed conflict in Colombia or because they were seeking opportunities that did not exist where they came from or for a range of other reasons that made the city the best option for them at the time. The original settlements in the area were established through land invasions by people who erected temporary shelters and then improved them over time and as the development became more established.

Photo credit: Yemail Arquitectura

To visit Ciudad Bolivar now is to encounter a series of shanty towns, with houses often appearing stacked one top of each other as the city marches up and down the hills that are a feature of the area. The population density is very high, with every available space occupied and, according to our friends at the local NGO Fundación Casa de la Infancia, every house overcrowded. In places, recent constructions are perched on the edges of steep slopes and cliffs. Depending on where the boundaries are defined, the population of Ciudad Bolivar is between six hundred thousand and one million.

As a result of local efforts to beautify and distinguish parts of the city, some areas of housing in Ciudad Bolivar have their walls painted yellow, blue or green. A recent development, perhaps the most important in the history of the area, is that the city is connected to the southern transport routes of Bogotá by a modern cable system that enables residents to reach their work without the delays of road travel.

Another innovation within Ciudad Bolivar is Urban 95 and specifically ‘Crezco con mi barrio’ (‘I grow with my neighbourhood’), a program supported by the Bernard van Leer Foundation and implemented by different local Secretaries and with technical support from Casa de la Infancia. Urban 95 seeks to imagine the city through the eyes of someone who is 95 centimetres tall, specifically the eyes of a child. In doing so, it has transformed parts of La Acacia, a neighbourhood within Ciudad Bolivar. For example, some spaces formerly occupied as unapproved car parks or by local gangs, have been reclaimed as play areas for children and families. Previously dangerous streets are now brightly-painted walking routes to and from school. Green open spaces have been established.

Community Works has worked with Casa de la Infancia in different ways. As part of the Spring Impact research (supported by the Hilton Foundation) on early childhood development (see a separate case study on this page), we researched and prepared a case study on Urban 95 ‘Crezco con mi barrio’. The value of the research was to offer the Urban 95 experience to a wider international audience. In return, some people at La Acacia learned from examples and knowledge from similar initiatives in Africa and elsewhere.

As Casa de la Infancia has begun working with the Mayoral Office of Bogotá to scale the model in other places, we have facilitated workshops for up to sixty staff of government and non-government agencies associated with the initiative. Our visits to Ciudad Bolivar and meetings and workshops with local people have built our respect for the way they are tackling the hardships and the challenges of life on the edge of Bogotá.

ConnectED; support for better quality, access and relevance of education in Central America

ConnectED; support for better quality, access and relevance of education in Central America

ConnectED; support for better quality, access and relevance of education in Central America

After several years of learning from the achievements of its program in rural areas of Nicaragua, in 2019 the Raechel and Jackie Foundation became ConnectED. At the same time, the organisation embarked on a new phase of work in Guatemala that focuses on further testing and proving of its community-based model implemented with local education leaders known as Fellows.

As part of this process of change, ConnectED invited Community Works to collaborate across a range of activities designed to establish and sustainable and high-impact long-term strategy. Starting with Spring Impact methods to analyse and plan the scaling of the work in Nicaragua to Guatemala, we broadened our work for ConnectED to include:

  • Research on comparative education models
  • Interviews with key individuals on the impact and future directions of ConnectED
  • Preparation of a strategy and business plan
  • Development of key strategy components including the Theory of Change, logic model and M&E metrics
  • Design of communication materials, including a prospectus for potential local partners
  • Preparation of training materials for workshops in Guatemala
  • Contributions to plans for fundraising. 

We worked closely with the ConnectED team throughout this process, building great team spirit and collective effort. 

At the time of preparation of this short summary, Community Works has been involved with ConnectED for over a year and Steve Fisher has joined the Advisory Council of ConnectED. We anticipate continuing our partnership as the organisation delivers against its strategic objectives and makes a difference to the way that communities in Central America achieve better quality, access and relevance of local education.

Replicating mental health services in Central America

Replicating mental health services in Central America

Replicating mental health services in Central America

Replicating mental health services in Central America

As representatives of BasicNeeds, we have been pleased to collaborate with ACISAM, the Association for Training and Research for Mental Health, in El Salvador. ACISAM is a well-respected NGO that has existed set up to meet the needs of people after the armed conflict in that country in the eighties and has since broadened its work to meet the mental health needs of the population more generally.

In association with other leading organisations in the country, we worked on the design for a new initiative that would adapt and replicate the BasicNeeds model in rural El Salvador. The aim is to make community-based mental health services available beyond the urban areas of the country.

Information on the first BasicNeeds social franchisee in Africa, VoiceGhana, can be found here

Principles and Practice of Social Enterprise

Principles and Practice of Social Enterprise

Principles and Practice of Social Enterprise

A training program focused on the Principles and Practice

 

A training program focused on the Principles and Practice of Social Enterprise was developed earlier this year by Community Works.

Over the years Community Works has gained relevant experience acquired developing social enterprises and through our associates’ experience as tutors for the School for Social Entrepreneurs.

This course was featured in other wider programs taught by our consultants. Elements have been taught at Melbourne University, to professional groups visiting Australia from other countries under DFAT/AusAID programs as well as to community organisations and NGOs in Australia and overseas.

Numerous organisations are seeking alternative ways of funding to reduce their dependence on grant funding for all or part of the services they provide. This training program enabled participants to explore the potential of social enterprises for their specific projects and circumstances, especially though the analysis of real examples, case studies and the practice of tools and techniques used by social entrepreneurs.

Participants gained knowledge of the theory underlying social enterprises, an understanding of the key considerations to stablish weather to start an enterprise project and the more intrinsic factors to consider in achieving desired results.
The training program targeted staff of community organisations with an interest in setting up a social enterprise or improving an existing one and was open to the public with interest to learn about social enterprises.

The key themes covered were:

  • What are social enterprises? Theory and examples
  • Key considerations in starting a social enterprise
  • Developing and testing a business model
  • The limits to social enterprise
  • Managing risks, delivering results and measuring impact

Community Works has material ready to share with you or your organization about starting a social enterprise. If you are interested in learning more about the subject or booking an appointment to discuss your specific situation, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

 

 

Mining and local development; training for better results

Mining and local development; training for better results

Mining and local development; training for better results

Mining and local development; training for better results

 

Community Works played a lead role in a project managed by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and funded by AusAID through its Public Sector Linkages Program. The project was entitled Improved Capacity of the Coal Sector in India to contribute to Local Development Outcomes from Coal Projects and comprised an intensive series of training sessions, visits and writing workshops held in India and Australia in partnership with the Ministry of Coal.

The project supported the Ministry of Coal to achieve better development outcomes through a training package that includes material on benefits distribution to people affected by mining, negotiating resettlement and managing ongoing relationships. From Community Works, Steve Fisher, Maria Rodrigues and Vanessa Angulo contributed to the project. Participants from public sector coal companies brought their own extensive practical experience to the project.

For more on Community Works’ perspective on the subject, download the article ‘Development issues in mining’ here.

Our article ‘Mining and development; what’s the benefit?’ was published by LEADR in February 2011 and can be downloaded here.