After an in-depth review, the Foundation Board decided at its meeting on August 30, 2022, to open a country program in Costa Rica in collaboration with the Swiss Edunámica Foundation. As in other Latin American countries, in Costa Rica, access to qualitative academic education is very difficult for talented youth from low-income families.
Edunámica was founded in 2001 by Steffen Tolle, who is also a member of the Foundation Board of Fundación Educación. In the past 20 years, he and his team have built up educational programs at secondary level and in the dual education sector in Costa Rica. Now, as a third pillar, an educational program for talented young people from low-income families shall also be offered at university level.
The two organizations will work together to pool expertise and resources. The project will be implemented by Asociación Edunámica, a locally recognized ONG in which Edunámica alumni are already active. Its experienced staff will implement the program according to the same rules as in the other programs of Fundación Educación. For this purpose, they will act as the Local Committee of Fundación Educación. During the period 2023-2026, around 25 scholarships will be awarded at ULEAD and ULATINA, two prestigious private universities offering business and engineering courses. This program is financed by Fundación Educación.
In El Salvador, Fundación Educación has partnered with an additional university at the initiative of our alumni, Frank Campos. The Escuela de Comunicación Monica Herrera (ECMH) offers courses in communication, marketing and strategy with a special focus on digitalization and innovation. Its approach is to promote learning experiences in order to train entrepreneurial and innovative professionals capable of effecting changes that shape their environment. Accordingly, ECMH promotes a high level of practical relevance, and its graduates are sought-after specialists on the labor market. Today, our alumni Frank acts as Director of Executive Education at the ECMH and is our link to the institution. In 2022, already two scholarships have been awarded.
