Colombia

DVV International has been active in Colombia since 2019 and has maintained a country office in the capital city of Bogotá since 2021.

Colombia is a country with some of the most extreme social inequalities in the world. In addition to suffering from a fragile security situation, the country also experiences high levels of immigration. Adult learning and education (ALE) offers great potential for the country by helping to overcome social challenges and sustainably improve the living conditions of vulnerable groups which include women, young people, migrants, internally displaced persons and ethnic minorities.

Despite the potential of ALE, youth and adult learning and education has not yet been given a central place on the national education agenda. It is usually reduced to literacy and basic education, while the specific educational needs of adults and seniors are not taken into account. The constitutional right to education in Colombia only applies to people up to the age of 15. There are also considerable deficits in the promotion of digital skills and access to educational programmes for the rural population. Moreover, there is a lack of target group-specific teaching methods, content or training programmes for teachers.

Main focus of work

DVV International’s projects aim to address the central challenges of the Colombian education sector. The focus is on promoting a broader understanding of education, supporting constitutional changes and advocating for adequate funding for ALE. DVV International promotes the development of alliances in the sector and supports the professionalisation of adult educators.

The current thematic focal points include:

• Supporting a legal reform to enshrine the right to education for all age groups in law;
• Introducing and anchoring further training programmes for ALE staff, in particular through the Curriculum globALE and the Curriculum interculturALE;
• Disseminating new methods and topics in the context of transformative adult learning and education, for example, in the areas of peacebuilding, migration and gender.

Partners

DVV’s main partner in lobbying and advocacy work is the non-profit organisation Fundación Felipe Vélez. Another civil society partner is the She Is Foundation, which focuses on gender equality and economic development.

Within the national Ministry of Education, DVV International cooperates with the Department of Rural Education and Education for Youth and Adults. Other strategic partners include the Secretariat of Culture, Recreation and Sports of Bogotá, the National Department of Social Welfare, the Secretariats of Women of Bogotá and Cali, as well as the local Directorate of Education and the Mayor’s Office of the Municipality of Usme. In academia, DVV collaborates with the University of El Bosque and the University Javeriana Cali.