Founded in 1994, Asociación Red Educativa del Suroccidente is a non-profit organization that brings together five private schools offering preschool thru high school vocational-technical education to low income children, many with physical disabilities.  The Red’s main purposes are to guarantee the schools’ financial and administrative strength, to raise funds from international entities, promote the exchange of pedagogical experiences between the five institutions, and finally facilitate the interaction between the institutions and the government.

Each year, the network supports more than 3,000 disadvantaged children from Colombia’s Caribbean coast—one of the areas of the country with the most serious educational problems. In order to increase the services offered, the network has created partnerships with other institutions so that their students may access activities such as drama classes, literacy workshops, and computer training.

Although the network is supported by various government entities which sustain the five schools, it is barely sufficient to cover the operational expenses.  For this reason, the Genesis Foundation has supported one of the five schools, Comunal Mixto, since 2005.  The school educates nearly 500 children.  In order to ensure the school provides quality education in adequate facilities, we have used the money to improve the school’s physical infrastructure.

For more information about this institution, or to make a direct contribution, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it