I am just coming back
from a visit to our partner in Guatemala FUNDAP. Although TINFA has worked with
FUNDAP since 2006 on 2 projects, this is the first time I made a visit there.
I am so pleased with
this visit. I had the chance to meet with school directors, teachers and students of 7 rural schools, see the fruits of our past projects, understand more in depth the activities of FUNDAP, and get a sense of the culture and leadership of the organization.
TINFA's model is to
partner with organizations locally. We need to share strong common values and have
complementary added values. I feel that
we have a very strong partnership with FUNDAP:
- Respect and focus on the dignity of the human being,
- avoidance of the paternalism,
- focus on collaboration with local partners,
- strengthening the self reliance and community engagement,
- and a strong believe in the inherent values of the people we serve.
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| Students performing a dance at school. The choreography and costume designs were done by the community. |
FUNDAP has a strong presence on the ground. It is well respected with deep relationships within the community. Although FUNDAP does not "own" any of the projects they collaborate on, their facilitation and expertise is clearly seen as a welcoming and beneficial.
Both of our
organizations are interested in defining simple and common sense solutions that
are precisely helpful for the communities we serve.