BBVA Colombia strengthens its commitment with education
6500 million pesos. This figure confirms BBVA Colombia’s commitment with children’s education across the country and expands the reach of educational programs and sports support programs as a tool for social cohesion.
The Chairman of BBVA Colombia, Óscar Cabrera Izquierdo, presented the 2017 Corporate Responsibility Plan, which contains a very clear goal: “This year we will reach around 130,000 people from 12 departments with our School for Entrepreneurship program; and we will train more than 45,000 people in our Financial Education program.”
The bank of education
This announcement was made at a press conference at Cartagena de Indias during the Hay Festival, an event that combines culture and social commitment to promote dialog between the participants. Óscar Cabrera stressed the mission of the bank’s strategic plan: “We will keep consolidating our position as the bank of education in Colombia. Education is the best lever for social development.”
The Financial Education program will reach around 130,000 young people from 12 Colombian departments, hand out 40,000 backpacks with school materials and help 5,000 students through “Niños Adelante” scholarships. “We have once again confirmed out commitment to education and reinvested a portion of what we earn in society,” Cabrera explained.
The bank will maintain its alliance with institutions such as Corporación Manos Visibles (10 young people from vulnerable communities can go to university); the “Educa Pazcífico” project (works to improve education in the Colombian Pacific where some of the poorest departments in the country are located); and Fundación Plan (150 young people receive technical training in different areas).
BBVA Colombia is also planning to expand its BBVA School for Entrepreneurship, which promotes the development of financial and entrepreneurial skills in students and teachers. In 2017, 126,000 young people should benefit from this initiative. As for sports, the bank will expand its support to young sportspeople, especially Paralympic athletes and swimmers.
Cabrera mentioned that over the last five years BBVA Colombia has invested more than 30,000 million pesos (around 10.2 million dollars) in social responsibility programs.