Our office gift will keep on giving

Access to higher education can help people escape poverty, and create a more prosperous, stable society. Yet only one per cent of university enrolments came from rural areas of Colombia in 2016, which shows that for many, education opportunities, and therefore employment prospects, are limited.

As a business operating in the rural area of Cordoba, we realised we could help, so in 2016, our Cerro Matoso operation gifted the local community our former office building, and it was converted into a training facility, providing 340 young people with access to higher education.

The National Learning Service, or SENA, which is a public entity offering free training to Colombians to advance the economic, technological and social development of the country, took over tenancy of the donated building in January 2017.

Having a new SENA in Cordoba will help to provide vital educational and training opportunities for many of the 14,000 people living around Cerro Matoso, so the building is a gift we’re happy to have given – because we know it will keep on giving.