ACDI/VOCA announced the creation of Fundación ACDI/VOCA LA, a nonprofit organization registered in Colombia with headquarters in Bogotá. Fundación ACDI/VOCA LA will work with public and private entities to empower, transform, and generate opportunities for economic and social inclusion of people, communities, and organizations in Colombia and other countries throughout Latin America.
The creation of a regional affiliate is an unprecedented initiative for ACDI/VOCA, which has worked in over 140 countries for more than 55 years. The new entity will capitalize on ACDI/VOCA’s long history in Latin America and will promote alliances between public and private entities and communities, aimed at strengthening strategies that lead to the inclusive and sustainable development of countries in the region.
Among its activities, Fundación ACDI/VOCA LA will advise and implement projects for private sector companies that generate social value and manage the risks of the impact of their operations on surrounding communities. “The business sector is, more and more, aware of its indispensable role in the positive transformation of the countries in which they operate. However, a lack of trust and knowledge continues to drive it away from working with communities, limiting its investments and commitment. ACDI/VOCA LA will have at its forefront the design and implementation of sustainable shared value projects, acting as an expert facilitator among stakeholders,” affirms Ricardo Amaya, executive director of Fundación ACDI/VOCA LA.
Other areas of service include the following: (1) supporting inclusive rural development, generating licit economic opportunities, (2) contributing to increased access and formalization of lands and territories of ethnic and rural poor populations, (3) empowering people, communities, and organizations to transform their reality, generating positive social and economic changes in their environments, (4) developing programs for the integral support of migrant and receiving populations in border areas, and (5) leading comprehensive programs that strengthen human capital and generate opportunities for economic inclusion through formal employment and entrepreneurship.
