My name is Libardo. I was born in Cartago, Valle del Cauca, grew up in Buenaventura, and my family roots are in the Micay River region. Today, I serve as principal of the Teófilo Roberto Potes Technical Commercial Educational Institution, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. My personal and professional journey has been deeply shaped by education—and in a decisive way, by my encounter with FUNDAEC.
I came to know FUNDAEC in the late 1980s, when I was working as a community development promoter with Plan Padrinos Internacional in Buenaventura. In 1989, we participated in a baseline study aimed at understanding why rural riverine, coastal, and roadside communities in the district were struggling to make progress. The findings were clear: low levels of education were severely limiting opportunities for development. As a result, we began searching for institutions that could strengthen educational processes in the region, and FUNDAEC emerged as a solid and transformative response.
Thanks to the testimony of individuals who had already completed the Rural Well-Being program, such as María Melba Chalá and Gerardo Carabalí, FUNDAEC was invited to Buenaventura. In April 1990, we launched the Tutorial Learning System (SAT) in the Matías Mulumba area, working with young people from rural regions including Bajo Calima, Bajo San Juan, Anchicayá, Dagua, and other territories. I served as the first promoter of this initiative, supporting groups of students who alternated weeks of study in Buenaventura with weeks of community work in their home areas.
As the program expanded to additional communities, FUNDAEC identified the need for field coordination. After completing rigorous training at the different SAT levels (impulsor, práctico, and bachiller), I was appointed field coordinator—a responsibility I embraced with deep commitment. Later, I enrolled in the Bachelor’s Degree in Rural Education at FUNDAEC’s Rural Well-Being University Center in Perico Negro, graduating in 1995. This program provided not only academic preparation, but also a comprehensive vision of human and community development.
For more than 17 years, I served as SAT field coordinator, accompanying the formation of multiple generations of young people and adults. Many of them experienced profound life transformations: some became teachers, others pursued university studies, and several achieved economic stability and social recognition. Today, I even see grandchildren and great-grandchildren of former SAT students receiving an education and contributing to their communities—a living testament to the deep and lasting impact of this educational system.
FUNDAEC was, for me, a school of life. It strengthened me spiritually, personally, within my family, and even economically. Thanks to that foundation, I was able to support the education of my seven children, encourage my wife’s professional growth, and build a stable and dignified life. The knowledge and formation I received through the Rural Education degree and the SAT enabled me to succeed in highly competitive teaching and leadership examinations, standing out even among professionals with extensive academic backgrounds.
Today, after more than four decades of professional life and over 18 years as a principal, I recognize that much of who I am and what I do has its roots in FUNDAEC. Although I pursued graduate studies at other universities, my intellectual, ethical, and human foundation was formed there. For me and my family, FUNDAEC is a source of pride and gratitude. It is an institution that transforms minds, lives, and territories. My hope is that it will continue for many years to come, sowing hope, knowledge, and a spirit of service in Colombia and around the world.
