About Us
|
FEM is a non-profit organization based in Cartagena, Colombia that seeks to make a daily difference in the lives of afro and indigenous communities in general and local Colombian women in particular by listening to their needs, connecting them with relevant stakeholders, and fostering a sense of community ownership over sustainable development projects
|
Our Values
|
Enthusiasm
We make a daily difference in the lives of local communities by linking them with a professional and highly motivated staff that works with them as equals Diversity We believe in difference as a source of creativity and innovation. Our team is international, interdisciplinary, interethnic and intergenerational. |
Horizontality
We translate needs into action by bridging the gap between governmental actors, stakeholders, and local communities to foster understanding, respect and collective decision-making Transparency We have a 0 tolerance policy torwards corruption. All our finances are published in this link. |
Action
We help communities develop ownership of projects and empower them to ensure continued and prolonged success, by providing better access to opportunities Pertinence We listen to communities’ needs to identify and establish the most effective partnership to help address their priorities, always keeping our planet in mind |
We're Striving to become self sustainable
• We have our own businesses • We sell our own products.
History Of FEM
10 years ago, Keith Bookwalter and Ana María González came together to create FEM, a non-profit organization founded on the belief that listening to local communities’ needs and working alongside them as equals are the first steps to empowering these communities and ensuring a sense of ownership that results in successful and sustainable development projects. Currently, FEM has 27 associates, from very differente backrounds and regions.
The Colombian social intervention ecosystem makes funding difficult, so we were required to innovate in order to maintain our independence and spend the bulk of our time working with local communities. In 2014, we launched our first entrepreneurial venture--Cartagena Insider, which takes guests on excursions and tours of the greater Cartagena community. Today, Insider funds our office costs.
Making Positive Change in Colombia
Through our work, we have developed an extensive network of over 210 committed individuals and organizations that have partnered with us on several of our projects. These people include students and recent graduates who wanted the opportunity to volunteer abroad for free and long-term interns and associates who have undertaken major leadership roles as the head of various projects. In addition, we have partnered with 10 professional networks, such as Architects Without Borders, 2 organizations that promote international cooperation, and 17 universities across Europe and the United States. In the past 7 years, FEM has grown from an idea about how to truly make a sustainable and direct impact in the lives of communities in need to a large and largely self-sustaining international non-profit organization.
The Colombian social intervention ecosystem makes funding difficult, so we were required to innovate in order to maintain our independence and spend the bulk of our time working with local communities. In 2014, we launched our first entrepreneurial venture--Cartagena Insider, which takes guests on excursions and tours of the greater Cartagena community. Today, Insider funds our office costs.
Making Positive Change in Colombia
Through our work, we have developed an extensive network of over 210 committed individuals and organizations that have partnered with us on several of our projects. These people include students and recent graduates who wanted the opportunity to volunteer abroad for free and long-term interns and associates who have undertaken major leadership roles as the head of various projects. In addition, we have partnered with 10 professional networks, such as Architects Without Borders, 2 organizations that promote international cooperation, and 17 universities across Europe and the United States. In the past 7 years, FEM has grown from an idea about how to truly make a sustainable and direct impact in the lives of communities in need to a large and largely self-sustaining international non-profit organization.
Donate & Change Lives in Colombia
|
We're fundraising for several major projects, and anything you give will help fight economic, gender, and housing inequality in Colombia. All donations will help. Donate what you can or ask us for impact investment opportunities.
|
"If you want to reach people that no-one else is reaching, you have to do things that no-one else is doing”
- Craig Groschel
In 2019
|
new spinoff companies were launched
|
households were individually visited and mapped by our team
|
Hectares of land were included in land titling requests
|
Do you want to be a part of our team?We are looking for people WHO THINK, who can contribute to the solution of problems and challenges in rural and urban Afro and Indigenous communities in Cartagena de Indias. FEM attracts people coming from all over the world, with a wide variety of disciplines. They join the FEM team and bring willpower, knowledge, creativity and energy to produce ideas, plans and projects that enable solutions within in the communities where FEM operates.
If you believe that your experience and knowledge could contribute to our projects, and you want to live and unforgettable intercultural experience in Cartagena, feel free to contact us! |
Opportunities
We are looking for great people to work with us.
|