Imago Foundation has worked in Bogotá, Colombia, for over 10 years to build, maintain and strengthen a playful space for sustainable peace from a sector of extreme poverty, where children and their families have been able to develop as actors processors of their lives and their immediate social relations, revitalizing the social fabric from the culture and the arts, promoting human rights and preventing the forced recruitment of minors by illegal armed groups operating in the area.

Through its work integrated projects have been reached for children, youth and women at the center of peace and development from the perspective of culture, in concert building knowledge through workshops, committees, meetings, carnivals, etc., Developing a program of welfare institutions, disseminating results that demonstrate a cultural work has helped to improve the living and quality of life of participating communities and developing replicable models.

Imago Foundation efforts have made a difference because through its humanitarian work with children has contributed to build the social fabric through the necessary training for coexistence values: respect, responsibility, solidarity, autonomy, peaceful conflict resolution. This is developed together with other activities having as socio-cultural approach to generate the conditions that allow a pedagogical action based on a horizontal axis with very weak hierarchies. Nominee on the premise that everyone is aware of his project of life as a human being and therefore can and must contribute to the collective construction of knowledge in the different processes of learning, whether in public or in private.

Similarly, Imago´s work has contributed to the adequacy of the nutritional needs of children from the poorest sector of Bogotá, Colombia, thus improving their nutritional status. Other less tangible needs have also been fulfilled such as emotional, sensory and socialization, as food plays an important role to change our moods and facilitate of children´s communication.

Imago foundation develops its work specifically in Ciudad Bolívar in Bogotá, Colombia, home to 4.3% of the population in poverty and 17.4% in poverty and unmet basic needs. The consequence is that for every 1000 live births in the population, an estimated 21 children die a year in the five-year projection for the five years 2005-2010 and 2010-2015, 17 children under one year. So, this area has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the city.

Thanks to its leadership Imago has developed a process in rights and duties of children using the arts (theater, arts and literature) for working on values ​​and necessary principles for healthy living. This process is complemented by a daily nutritional support and reinforcement of schools supported by the existing library and toy library at the Foundation.

In addition, this population has gotten psychological support of professionals in the area, who are responsible for strengthening individual and family work. This is supported by the schools of family (spaces for dialogue and training for accompanying families and children to the program) It meets every month an average of 60% of parents, who work on the issue of children rights and duties linked to the principles and values ​​that are worked daily with the children.

Imago also look for involvement of the community and specifically young multipliers experiences of peace, children as protagonists of actions to promote human rights and women as major stakeholders of the school of family which tends to eradicate domestic violence.

Imago Foundation needs your support to maintain its work and keep developing projects to improve living conditions of the poorest and vulnerable people in Colombia.

Contact us at:
imago@fundacionimago.org.co
www.facebook.com/FundacionImago
www.fundacionimago.org.co