Barranquilla, June 2022. This community located in one of the two townships in which the rural area of the city of Barranquilla is divided has a large majority of population exposed to vulnerable conditions, who generate their income through informal and temporary work. The 70% of the population is born in the sector, however, in recent years a population of people displaced by violence has arrived, as well as Venezuelan migrants.
Faced with these conditions, the Cayena Foundation has sought to be an articulator between the business sector and the community of Juan Mina through programs aligned with a common agenda built with the community, impacting 8,400 inhabitants of the area. Among these programs are the Employability program, which seeks to encourage the employment of families in the sector through the promotion, training and application for positions, to vacancies generated by companies in the area of influence; Looking for Excellence, which focuses on having a better comprehensive and bilingual education for children and youth of the Juan Mina Educational Institution; and the Cuenta Conmigo program that aims to promote the use and enjoyment of leisure time of children and youth through soccer as a tool to teach values and develop life skills.
On the other hand, there are the Social Entrepreneurship programs that seek the productivity of families in the area of influence, especially women, through the construction and formalization of productive units, and business strengthening; and Building Dreams with Alfa, which promotes the improvement of the habitability of families in Juan Mina, Villas and its surroundings.
The Cayena Foundation has been able to articulate the actors of the private and public sector in order to meet the needs of the community, including improving education, infrastructure, employability, among others. Thus, more than 14 companies have joined the foundation's initiatives, impacting 12,460 people in the community in the last 5 years.
The companies that have made these changes possible in the community in 2021 are: H. UJUETA, supporting the Godfather Plan; PRO FLO LATAM in employability; CARL BAGUHN, donation of toys for Christmas celebrations; FIRENZE CORP in the sustainable purchasing program; HADA INTERNATIONAL, with accompaniment and support in the development of community programs; and GRUPO ALFA in habitability.
It should also be mentioned that, during the pandemic, companies such as Cartonera Nacional, C7R SAS, Banapol del Caribe and Optima Balistic, supported with the coverage of basic needs and thanks to this, the Cayena Foundation reached 6110 people in vaccination days, donation of masks, delivery of food packages, awareness activities, among others.
"For the Cayena Foundation, we are proud to have these allies that make it possible for the living conditions of this population to improve. Our goal is to continue building a sustainable, prosperous and equitable community around Juan Mina, to ensure that its development goes hand in hand with the progress of Barranquilla and the Colombian Atlantic Coast, because as our motto says: There are no successful companies if their environment is not part of the development", says Ana Maria Matalla, president of the Cayena Foundation.
