Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences

FUNDAEC (Fundación para la Aplicación y Enseñanza de las Ciencias), "the acronym in Spanish for “The Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences”, is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that has dedicated over 30 years to fostering processes of learning, training, and development in the rural areas of Colombia and an increasing number of countries in Latin America.

" The Fundación para la Aplicación y Enseñanza de las Ciencias, FUNDAEC, was created in 1974 in Colombia by a group of scientists and professionals who were searching for ways to promote the autochthonous development of rural areas. The Foundation dedicated itself to the creation of the University for Integral Development (UDI, according to its Spanish acronym), which was defined as a social space in which the inhabitants of a given region learn to choose and walk the paths of their own communities’ development."

"Although it is not a religious institution, most of FUNDAEC's projects operate along Baha'i (see Baha'i Faith) principles, said Dr. Correa".

In 2002 the Club of Budapest "honored FUNDAEC, a Baha'i-inspired development organization in Colombia, with a "Change the World -- Best Practice Award" for its achievements in providing high school education and training to more than 50,000 people living in rural areas in Latin America.

"In his speech at the award ceremony, Peter Spiegel, the Secretary General of the Club of Budapest, characterized the project as "the most considerable revolution of education in the twentieth century."...

""Other "Change the World" recipients this year were Aguida Zanol, representing Reciclar-Institut in Brazil, which seeks to connect art, ecology and social development; Nina Kostina of the Frank Foundation, which has sought to help orphans from former countries of the Soviet Union; and Marcia Odell, representing the Women's Empowerment Program in Nepal, which has developed an innovative approach to microfinance and the empowerment of women. The WEP program has reached more than 130,000 women in Nepal and has also received considerable support from the Baha'i community of Nepal."

Contact

 * Web: http://www.fundaec.org

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Farzam Arbab, Gustavo Correa, Francia de Valcarcel
 * El Camino Foundation
 * Holly Hanson
 * Baha'i Faith
 * Haleh Arbab