It comprises thirty-two districts, with the capital in Bogotá. Colombia is ethnically and linguistically diverse, with its rich cultural heritage reflecting influences by various Amerindian civilizations, European settlement and immigration from Europe and the greater Middle East. Urban centers are concentrated in the Andean highlands and the Caribbean coast. Colombia's diversified economy is the third largest in South America, with macroeconomic stability and favorable long-term growth prospects. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development’s (ADFD) efforts towards social and economic development for Colombia began recently, in 2017.
Since then, ADFD has allocated a government grant, totalling US$10.5 million (AED38.6 million) to support Colombia in achieving outlined priorities. Aimed at underpinning comprehensive development, the grant seeks to assist in establishing a network of education and health centres. ADFD aims to help strengthen Colombia’s push for growth in delivering education and care for the early childhood demographic, to cater to a higher standard of living of the inhabitants of the intervened municipalities, contributing to peace, stability and the eradication of poverty. It is with this initiative that came the decision to finance the construction and outfitting of 37 ECDC’s. The construction of Early Childhood Development Centers is on the frame of the policy “De Cero a Siempre” - (Law 1804 of 2016), which seeks to guarantee the rights of early childhood and promote its integral development and well-being.
Supporting Early Childhood
Upon the project’s completion, which is targeted for December 2020, there are several areas of focus that are expected to be highly improved - the implementation of actions that strengthen the recognition, protection and guarantee the rights of pregnant women and children between the ages of 0 and 6. These actions are also established in the State Policy for the development of early childhood “De Cero a Siempre”. Naturally, this development leads to the creation of human, physical and material conditions necessary to promote the development of children between 0 and 6 years, living in dispersed rural areas of the country.
With the execution of these projects, approximately 4,730 children under 6 years old are expected to be taken care of through initial education modalities within the framework of comprehensive care, guaranteeing their rights that have been prioritized by "De Cero a Siempre”. The attention to these beneficiaries, contributes to the fulfillment of the goal “First girls and boys”, established in the country’s National Development Plan 2019-2022. The intervention of the state allows vulnerable populations to have infrastructure that is completely built and equipped in favor of early childhood at their disposal. This infrastructure is distributed in 27 different municipalities, most of them of difficult access. The National Government categorized 170 municipalities of Colombia as "PDET Municipalities"; the municipalities most affected by several factors. Among the 37 projects under this mega-project to be financed with the resources granted by the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, projects in PDET Municipalities were prioritized as they are deemed most in need of rapid attention. Namely - Belén de los Andaquíes, Curillo, El Doncello, El Paujil, Condoto, Valencia, Aracataca, Policarpa, Teorama and Tibú. Within the framework of early childhood development, initial education is considered a right, which enhances the development of children from birth to the age of six. The above was the main reason ADFD engaged in contributing to this mega project, in ties with the country to guarantee the initial education, care and nutrition of children under six.
Future Development
The sole purpose of the ADFD is to help developing countries achieve their developmental priorities in their national agenda through financing major projects which have a great socio-economic impact and can result in sustainable economic growth, the aforementioned project has started a chain reaction with the pivotal assistance provided in this project. Not only will the ECDC projects increase the generation of employment with the contracting of consulting work and supervision, it will also encourage arrangements to promote the rights of health, protection and participation, which also contribute to the extension of medical care in programs developed mainly by public entities. One of the ripple effects of this project is through an investment by the National General Budget (PGN) of Colombia, the inception of infrastructure in favor of early childhood was defined, within which 37 Child Development Centers were built. In addition, there were resources from other National Government entities and donors. The need for this project was driven by the lack of adequate spaces for early childhood care and the low level of co -responsibility and commitment of interest groups for comprehensive care. In addition, a fundamental part of the attention provided to this population is related to the development of spaces, in a way that all actions are carried out in a cozy, safe and protective environment, providing the appropriate conditions of location, infrastructure, accessibility and comfort.
Sustainable quality of life
On the subject of international cooperation and sustainable development, it is worth mentioning that this project will contribute to the implementation of the following Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 1. Eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions; SDG 2. Seminar with forms of hunger and malnutrition; ensuring the access of all people, especially children, sufficient and nutritious food, promoting sustainable agricultural practices; SDG 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all; SDG 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; SDG 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. It is also important to reference the fact that in addition to prioritizing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, this project directly affects Colombian Objective 4.2: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and all children have access to early childhood care and development services and quality preschool education, so that they are prepared for primary education.” In particular reference to the global indicator 4.2.1. “Proportion of children under 5 whose development is adequate in terms of health, learning and psychosocial well-being.” Therefore, this project - focused on the construction and equipping of specialized infrastructure for early childhood care was born with the objective of contributing to the development of the referenced population and the country as a whole.
Projects including the ongoing aforementioned Early Childhood Development Centers will promote social and economic development and help the country improve several economic and social developmental facets, in line with the goal of the fund. The project will improve the overall standard of living of the inhabitants of the intervened municipalities. At the national level, it will encourage the mobilization of co-operation resources aimed at the sustainable development of the country, impacting the allocation of local resources directed in favor of social inclusion and maturity.