Dear friends of El Rio Foundation,
We start our summer newsletter by celebrating our amazing volunteer team, the heart of our Foundation, who have brought incredibly joyful and positive energy throughout 2026. It is very uplifting to share their feedback:
‘11/10 – one of the best times of my life…the Foundation brings joy and hope to young people who will remember their games, lessons and their coaches for many years to come’ – Kacper, Volunteer Martial Arts coach.
‘10/10 – I loved that the foundation made it possible to get back a feeling that reminded me of my childhood. For me it was nostalgic because I was in a football team all my childhood and I stopped when I was 14. Now seeing the girls, the same age and also allowing me to be part of the team felt really special. It was amazing how the communities received us, with so much love and appreciation. And I felt exactly the same for them.’ – Zoe, Volunteer lead
‘Actually 10! I never say 10 to anything but this one is worth it! – I really recommend this experience to everyone who has the willingness to learn from locals and local culture. It’s incredible how children in this place can really enjoy and appreciate the foundation’s work and dedication. I think is a very special experience’ – Ana, Volunteer Multi-sports and Wellbeing
Our volunteering experience was also recently featured by Hostelworld, in an article by Amy Phung, who we loved hosting last summer, describing how ‘It changed the way she travels” – Volunteering in Colombia, One Year On.’
If you would like to find out more about our year-round volunteering opportunities, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – foundation@elriohostel.com.
ACADEMIC TUTORING AND COMMUNITY ENGLISH:
To reward the successes of our students in Q1, we started the term with a Parisian themed afternoon of fun. The children made their own crepes, explored French culture, and enjoyed the film Ratatouille.
Soon after, we celebrated the 20th birthday of our founding funding partner La Vida (who support a variety of incredible community projects across Latin America), and with the support of Journey Latin America staff’s fundraising initiatives, a LATA Foundation member, we opened new Tutoring and Wellbeing sessions in Paz del Caribe, with 30+ new children joining the programmes every week.
Lina Morales, our programme lead, also secured the loan of 60 books and 5 educational games from the Bank of the Republic and the Luis Ángel Arango Library through their ‘Travelling Suitcases programme’.
And the ‘Picnic de Palabras’ project combined with the El Rio Games and Environmental programmes to introduce family reading days to more communities than ever before with over 50 families taking part. Highlights included at the Mendihuaca primary school sports festival and donations giveaway day and at the MoveforthePlanet project close event. The new reading aloud sessions in Tutoring have also been a big hit across all communities.
‘I thought my daughter didn’t like reading, so I really enjoyed seeing how excited she is when she picks up a book.’ – Parent questionnaire feedback (Picnic de Palabras, Parque Bellavista)
EL RIO GAMES:
The highlight has to be hosting our largest ever regional frisbee tournament supported by the Climbers Shop, which brought together teams as far afield as Santa Marta and Palomino and helped strengthen regional integration through sport. We also ran successful new multi-sports club pilots in the communities of Las Arepas and Mendihuaca, whose community had been devastated by the flooding and landslides at the start of the year. The festival day for 150 young people in the Indigenous town of Zalamaku, at the end of term, was also a stand-out activity and we are excited to kick off our new regular weekly sessions in all three communities next term.
ART and DANCE:
Given the limited funding available in local schools, our community art and dance programmes provide a much-needed creative outlet in four communities.
‘The children have been deeply committed to the art project for a long time now and this dedication comes from truly enjoying the process and seeing how much their skills are growing. They are getting better and better at building imaginary worlds out of recycled cardboard and basic art supplies. They are also learning to work together like a real team, and some kids are naturally stepping up as leaders. It’s so wonderful to see them take charge of how our art sessions unfold. It feels so rewarding as an art teacher! In our art club, one of our main goals is to inspire free play and creativity through the tools and skills we share with them.’ – Ami Cardenas, Art Programme lead
The theatre and dance performance at the MoveforthePlanet Beach festival was also the culmination of months of hard work. Every movement reflected the joy, confidence, and love that grew throughout this entire journey. And what an outstanding performance which you can see HERE. And big thanks to GivetoColombia for their support of the Los Linderos Dance group in particular.
Thank you to both Ami (Art) and Lily (Dance) for pouring so much dedication and love into the programmes and helping every child grow, express themselves, and shine through art and dance.
FOOTBALL:
Our Community Football programme supported by the FIFA Foundation took centre stage in Q2. The beginning of the league season, supported by Pachas, brought together six communities for an afternoon of high-quality boys’ and girls’ football, complete with generous gifts from our new partner Pachas. To check out their fantastic video highlights from the day, please click HERE.
On May 26th, it was World Football Giving Day, ‘a global day of solidarity, created by our partner Common Goal, to mobilise the entire football community—players, clubs, fans, organisations, and brands—towards collective giving and social impact.’
Our lead partner this year was Mariana Baquero, who at just 17 years old, reached out to us with her charity ‘Play it Forward’ and volunteered 100+ hours to raise funds for 140 new football kits for all girls taking part in our weekly football sessions. She also came with a team of eight volunteers to support the delivery of the biggest girls’ football tournament in the history of the Troncal del Caribe!
‘I felt so happy. The kit was new and beautiful, and it was very cool to represent Buritaca in the tournament. Thank you, Mariana, for giving everyone happiness.’
— Anais, Buritaca, 13 years old.
Congratulations to our champions: Cabañas (Juniors) and P. Nuevo (Seniors)!
And thank you to our partners the FIFA Foundation, Common Goal, World Football Giving Day team, Mariana and the Play it Forward for making this amazing day possible. Football showed its heart, and it was beautiful. Our WFGD men’s and women’s adult football tournament was also a Foundation first and we are already looking forward to 2027!
If you are interested in supporting our Community Football Programme, partnering with our junior football leagues, or sponsoring World Football Giving Day in 2027 or beyond? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY:
Our search for an external funding partner continues for this unique programme, however, we did, as highlighted above, connect with the Indigenous town of Zamalaku and run an introductory multi-sports festival day for 150+ young people. The football and bird-watching sessions also continued with great success in Q2, although the MFTP environmental activities have now come to an end.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION:
Our ‘Protecting the Heart of the World’ MoveforthePlanet project in partnership with adidas and Common Goal came to an epic and fitting end with an all-community Beach Games celebration on Thursday 30th April. An unforgettable day of FUN, watching our participants simply being happy, playing on the beach, sharing together, reading, enjoying beach sports, running into the ocean, and making memories they will carry with them forever.
We want to give a very special thank you to our programme lead Andres Zuniga, for all the inspiration, energy, and awareness he brought to the programme, helping 600+ children and their families develop a deeper connection with nature and its care.
The programme has twice been used by a UN working group, as a best practice case study for Sport for Good charities tackling climate change. It has also built a strong platform for future climate action along the Troncal del Caribe and beyond.
‘Through the project, El Rio Foundation expanded its collaboration with 8 local schools, many of whom became actively involved in environmental education activities, biodiversity monitoring, birdwatching, community gardens, waste management initiatives, ecosystem restoration, and sports-for-environment programmes.
The project also strengthened collaboration with 22 local and regional partners, which emerged organically through project activities and shared environmental goals. In several cases, organisations and schools that initially participated in a single activity later became long-term collaborators, opening opportunities for future environmental education, ecosystem restoration, Indigenous knowledge exchange, youth engagement, biodiversity conservation, and community-led climate action initiatives.
Perhaps most importantly, the project helped connect communities that had previously worked independently, creating a stronger regional network of people and organisations committed to protecting the ecosystems, cultural heritage, and environmental resilience of the Heart of the World.’
Thank you to our sponsors Common Goal and adidas for believing in this project. We have loved every minute of MovingforthePlanet and the impact will be felt and lived for many years to come. To read and see more about the project, please click HERE.
We are now seeking a partner for our environmental education programme for 2027, so if you have any ideas for potential funding avenues, we could explore, please let us know.
LITTLE KIDS ACTIVITIES:
In Q2, LKA maintained consistent attendance from 12 children Highlights included workshops and ongoing communication that strengthened collaboration between home and programme. Children engaged in sensory experiences, motor‑skills, and healthy‑habits learning through a wide range of activities, while environmental projects—gardening, composting, and caring for nature—gave them hands‑on opportunities to connect with nature. Ongoing professional development for the LKA team further strengthened pedagogical practices and enhanced the quality of care provided to children and their families.
Notable progress was observed in children facing socio‑emotional and behavioural challenges, including J, who developed stronger self‑regulation, respect for boundaries, and positive peer interactions, and A, who gained autonomy, confidence, and responsibility through coordinated support between her family and the programme.
These individual transformations reflect the strength of the support network built among families, educators, and wellbeing staff. The semester closed with joyful community events—Chef Day and the Family Art Gallery—celebrating identity, creativity, and the children’s growth from February to June, reaffirming LKA as a safe, creative, and community‑centred space for early childhood development.
Thank you to the families and the entire LKA team —our leader Paola, teachers Mare, and Liliana. To see more about our end of term celebration, please click HERE.
CHILD SAFEGUARDING AND WELLBEING:
In Q2, the Wellbeing programme strengthened children’s socio‑emotional skills through themes such as self‑awareness, body awareness, and boundary setting. Across 83 sessions delivered at the Wellbeing clubs and through visits to other Foundation programmes, 128 children participated directly and another 500+ engaged through outreach activities. Overall, participants showed notable improvements in recognising emotions, expressing needs respectfully, identifying personal boundaries, and building trust in social spaces.
Special events enriched the term, including a Movie Day with 35 participants, the “Traveling Rivers” workshop, and a team‑building Cacao tour for Foundation staff. The programme’s expansion into Paz del Caribe stands out as a key achievement, reflected in children’s active participation (45+) and positive feedback—such as P’s summary:
‘I love the Wellbeing Club classes. They have been wonderful because here we can learn, have fun, play, draw, and spend quality time together. I also love that even when I don’t understand something, I can ask my teachers, and they are always there to help me.’
OTHER:
At the end of the term, we were delighted that our long-term partners Fundación Pech returned, this time with the ‘Ríos Viajeros’ project, that reached 245 participants across 13 educational sessions in 12 rural and Indigenous communities, leaving a tangible legacy of 70 linear meters of collective maps and individual letters to the river created with organic, non‑polluting materials.
‘This project strengthened eco‑affective learning through a horizontal partnership between the PECH Foundation, El Rio Foundation Co, and El Bosque University, while also building long‑term capacity by training 19 local educators and leaders. Children and adolescents demonstrated meaningful socio‑emotional and environmental growth, shifting community narratives from trauma towards care, protection, and future stewardship of local rivers.’ – Karen Corzo, Fundacion Pech.
To see a short video about the project, please click HERE.
And finally, we were very proud that our Social Media lead Catalina was chosen by the FIFA Foundation as a World Cup Community leader and she represented El Rio Foundation for over a month at the FIFA World Cup in Mexico. An incredible month of connection and joy centred around the iconic Azteca stadium and supporting community events across Mexico City!
‘Thanks to the FIFA Foundation, El Rio Foundation, and FIFA Volunteer for allowing me to experience this in such a special way. I leave with immense gratitude, inspiration, and the motivation to continue working so that more people can discover the transformative power of sport.’ – Catalina Hernandez-Torres, FIFA Foundation Community leader
CONCLUSION:
An amazing term, turbo-charged by our all-action volunteer team! Huge kudos to our operations team, behind the scenes making everything work! And to our co-ordinators and wider team for your outstanding delivery. And thank you to our friends, partners and local community for supporting us every step of the way.
The end of the term did see a, somewhat predictable, return of sporadic violence around the elections, and was a reminder that the peace process in our region is still ongoing and much in-need of external support.
If you would like to find out more about our peace-building community programmes and/or have expertise in this particular field, please contact us at foundation@elriohostel.com.
Thank you very much for your support and have a wonderful rest of the summer!
Felix and the El Rio Foundation team
