In September 2019 I had the chance to visit the fantastic campus of EAFIT in Medellin, where Rising Tide Foundation has supported several students over the past years through Fundación Educación. The visit left a deep impression on me due to several reasons:
The professionalism of the local volunteers of Fundación Educación is inspiring. This can not only be experienced through the close relationship the team has with its scholarship holders, but also through the great collaboration with the university – Fundación Educación is a highly valued partner, which was expressed by the Rector of the University, Juan Luis Mejía Arango, who made time for a meeting in his busy schedule.
The scholars of Fundación Educación do not only get financial support, but the support goes much further, helping them through the many difficult situations that the life as a student may bring.
The meeting with the alumni and current scholars showed the incredible development path that these young people have gone through with the support of Fundación Educación – apart from their professional development, it is impressive that the alumni founded their own entity through which they now finance younger students, paying forward what they have received and sharing the fruits of their success.
The stories they shared during our lunch about their engagements in their communities were moving and a proof of the incredible ripple effect the support of one person can have on an entire community. The work of Fundación Educación shows how it is possible to not only change the life of one person by supporting them through their higher education, but that it clearly uplifts the entire family and even broader community.
Isabelle Hirs-Schaller, Senior Program Manager, Rising Tide Foundation
