In 2016, Lucas, the founder of Educambio, witnessed first-hand how thousands of children were dropping out of school in the absence of notebooks and school materials to write down their lessons in. Two inches of newspaper margins and paper clippings held (or attempted to) anentire algebra lesson. Many children would even erase what they had written on the first pages of their worn-out notebooks, making way to new subjects and teachings.
The alarming reality is that over 400,000 children in Colombia drop out of formal education every year, due to a lack of basic resources and quality education.
Educambio was created out of the belief that entrepreneurship can be a catalyst for change; that education is the most powerful tool to generate social change, and that agents of change exist and are willing to change the world with their actions. As a sustainable social enterprise, Educambio is focused on offering high-quality educational opportunities and tools to vulnerable youth across Colombia across four key programs:
• Scholarships for Change
• Notebooks for Change
• Libraries for Change
• Transformation Spaces
Educambio is a social organization that aims to promote quality education in vulnerable sectors of society by providing high-quality educational opportunities and tools.
Our sustainable projects are designed to reduce social gaps and inequality, while also being conscious of caring for the environment.
Our main objective is to invest in quality education for children and offer social transformation strategies, knowing that it is the most powerful tool to build a possible country and move towards a dream world. We are proud to be a dream made notebook, sustained by the hands of children in Colombia.
We are a multidisciplinary team, ready to transform social realities.
Together we are Strategy + Innovation + Communication + Creativity + Empathy.
Our motivation? The dreams of thousands of children in Colombia.
Education is the most powerful tool for driving social change.
Agents of change exist and are capable of making a positive impact on the world through their actions.
Bio-sustainability and environmental consciousness are essential components of achieving meaningful change.
NATIONAL YOUNG TALENT AWARD
TITANS CARACOL NOMINATION 2019 EDUCATION CATEGORY
In September, Educambio was honored to be named a finalist in the Education category for Titanes Caracol 2019, a prestigious national contest organized by Caracol Televisión S.A. The contest aims to recognize individuals who, through their activities or programs for social well-being, make significant contributions to the development of the country, often from anonymity.
RECON FINALIST 2019
We were selected as a finalist in the Education category of the IV RECON, which was open from May 28 to September 13. This call aims to identify Social Ventures that are creating opportunities, transforming realities, and contributing to the sustainable development of vulnerable communities in Colombia. We competed with over 1,700 social ventures from across the country, and we are honored to have been recognized for our efforts to promote education and sustainability.
NATIONAL YOUNG TALENT AWARD - OYW
In October 2019, Educambio had the honor of representing Colombia at One Young World London, a prestigious global summit that gathers outstanding young leaders from all sectors and countries who strive to accelerate social impact. We were invited by Maria Juliana Ruiz, former first lady of the nation, and were part of a group of 58 young Colombians who received guidance from influential leaders from 194 countries, including Muhammad Yunus, Ban Ki Moon, Richard Branson, Meghan Markle, and many other global figures. This experience allowed us to expand our vision, network with like-minded individuals, and gain valuable insights to continue creating positive change in our community.
RECON FINALIST
CALZATODO 2020
In early 2020, we launched our first national campaign in partnership with Calzatodo. The campaign aimed to collect notebooks at all Calzatodo stores across the country, which we then transformed into change notebooks. With the help of our allies such as Primavera, Paper Mate, Colgate, Pintuco, Colombina, and Ipanema Colombia, we were able to donate 1,000 pairs of shoes and complete school kits to various communities in need. Some of the communities that benefited from our donations include the Siloé Community, La Fontaine School, Hogar Bambi, Chiquitines, Cabildo Nasa, Cesoles, La Cruz Community, Oscar Scarpetta, and Fundagracia.
CALZATODO 2020
TITANES CARACOL