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Poder Joven Foundation is a non-profit organization whose members are professionals working to provide life opportunities to children victims of the humanitarian crisis in Colombia. These children live in regions of the city of Medellín that are focus points of the armed conflict and drug dealing. Children in these parts of the city are prone to abandon their homes and adopt behaviors such as consumption of drugs, mendacity, or delinquency.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jhon Paul Smith Pardo.
Civil Engineering Professor. Volunteer and co-founder, resides in Seattle, USA.
Jorge Flórez Ardila.
Business Administration Engineer. Volunteer and co-founder, resides in Medellín, Colombia.
Loren Callejas Franco.
Psychologist with MS in Public Health. Technical advisor for proposal development and execution of social projects of Poder Joven Foundation, resides in Medellín, Colombia.
Clared Patricia Jaramillo Duque.
Industrial Engineer. Co-founder and executive director since 2000, resides in Medellín, Colombia.
During December 1995 a group of college students from local universities in Medellin decided to serve children victims of poverty and social deterioration in the city. The primary goal was to assist street children and help them find a decent place to live. However, they noticed that the best way to contribute to the solution of social problem of street children was prevention of that situation in the first place. With that goal in mind, Poder Joven was funded as a non-profit organization in July 1996.
Our first children service center Casa Karah started in 1999 at the Barrio Triste neighborhood and served 15 kids only. As the impact of our work became more noticeable, the local municipality contracted Poder Joven Foundation to be part of network a large-scale project aimed at preventing vulnerable populations in Medellín from becoming street people. The financial support that resulted from this relationship allowed Poder Joven Foundation to expand the scope of its services. Casa Karah is open from 8am until 5pm Monday through Friday and currently serves 60 children.
Following the success of Casa Karah we felt the need to expand our work to other underprivileged regions of Medellin. As part of this process Poder Joven Foundation identified the “Brisas del Jardín” community as a focus point of social problems leading children to join gangs or becoming street people. In response to this we established our second children service center Casa Maren in 2006, which now serves 70 kids.
Poder Joven is the result of the effort of young people who have committed themselves to the social development of the underprivileged communities of Medellin.
Poder Joven Foundation is a non-profit organization offering comprehensive social and education programs to children from underprivileged communities in the city of Medellin.
Goal 1. Generate a positive change in the lives of children from the communities served, by providing a formative environment that promotes their integral development as human beings.
Goal 2. Prevent children in the communities served from joining illegal armed or drug dealing groups, and/or from becoming street people/beggars and/or joining prostitution or any form of delinquency.
Medellín Municipality: since 2009 Poder Joven has been part of a network of contracting organizations for the local government of Medellin in a program aimed at serving underprivileged children in the city. Through this partnership we join our efforts to other local organizations that focus on ensuring better living conditions for vulnerable communities in Medellin.
Totto – Nalsani S.A.: Totto is a backpack manufacturer company with headquarters in Bogotá, which has been supporting the work of Poder Joven since 2009. Totto’s financial support has been instrumental to cover the needs of 18 children in Casa Maren.
Friends of the Third World: FOTW is a USA-based institution that uses fair-trade principles to commercialize products of small enterprises (often social organizations) from developing countries all over the world. FOTW serves as out international sister organization channeling donations from the United States and Canada for Poder Joven Foundation. If you live in one of these countries and wish to contribute our mission, please feel free to contact FRIENDS OF THE THIRD WORLD
Foundation for the Children: Foundation for the Children is a USA-based nonprofit organization that has provided funds since 2003 to cover tuition and school related expenses for 35 children served by Poder Joven Foundation.
La Vida: This is a UK-based nonprofit organization that sponsors health and education projects throughout Latin America since 2006.
