Family Preservation and Social Wellbeing Manifest

At the Parque Jaime Duque Foundation we work for the wellbeing of the people, one of our objectives is to take care of their natural environment that is family. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “the family is the natural and fundamental element of society and is entitled to the protection of society and the State”.

Family plays a key role, there you learn to love; where parents have a vital role of forming future citizens; teaching values, bringing safety, trust and affection, which are vital elements for their proper development. Taking care and restoring family life is an important challenge for humanity, millions of studies identify that the deepest cause of global issues such as poverty, delinquency, violence and emotional disorders is the lack of affection and education in values, derived from the disintegration of the family. Those who grow up in a stable family have a higher life expectancy, lower rates of mental illness, addictions, domestic violence and better academic results. Therefore, today more than ever the quote of Mother Teresa of Calcutta takes relevance: “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family”.

What do we do? We want happy families and a fair society, because of this:

1. We are a scenery of family recreation, where significant memories are created increasing the quality of life. Parks are one of the best ways to use leisure time, our aim is to be a space conducive to family and community cohesion.

2. We develop recreational activities that strengthen the family union.
A Family Adventure is an activity with the aim of generating actions that lead to love, care and value the family. With the guidance of a fun booklet, families find 12 practical reflections on the importance of regular family eating, making good use of free time, disconnecting from technology to connect as a family, develop proper communication and conflict management, among other messages.

3. We work for the welfare of our members and their families, so we are certified as an efr company (Family Responsible Company).
Efr is a model of people management recognized by the United Nations and by Interreg Europe as a good practice, for promoting management policies that consider the needs of workers, seeking the harmonization of personal, family and work life. More than a thousand organizations are committed to harmonization through the efr certification, we are the first park to be certified worldwide.

4. We build alliances in order to develop projects that benefit families in our area of influence.

1. 1. 1. We work with the mayors’ offices to support family schools.
      2. We rely on the Institute of the Family of the University of La Sabana for the development of different projects.
      3. We work with several partners to invite other organizations to adopt familially responsible practices such as efr certification.

5. Working for an ever fairer and supportive society

The park was created with the objective of leaving Colombians a cultural and recreational center that, at the same time, generated resources to support the most vulnerable ones in society. The social work dates back to 1958 carrying out works in favor of the community, the military forces and the Jaime Duque school in Villamaría, Caldas, which for more than 20 years, maintained 1,500 students of scarce resources. In 1980 the Ciudadela Nuevos Horizontes was created, which welcomed girls in a state of vulnerability and in the 1990s the efforts focused on the support of elderly people in Caldas and Santander.

Nowadays, continuing with the legacy of the social work of our founders: Jaime Duque and Amparo de Duque, we seek to contribute to change realities in Colombia, so children, youngsters and elders under vulnerable contexts and their families receive integral attention to their necessities: food, health, education, home, recreation, psychosocial support and accompaniment in their life project.

Annually, we donate more than 50,000 visits to vulnerable population groups, support social initiatives in our area of influence. We are the source of the first job of hundreds of young people in the region. Since 2002, we came together with Fundación Proyecto Unión, to work in favour of two populations.

• Elderly adults living in the streets, who receive support in a dining area located near Bogota’s downtown.

• Children with complex and difficult to manage diseases, because of this in 2015, we destined 7 hectares adjacent to Ecoparque Sabana Nature Reserve, for the construction of Centro de Vida. A project that in its first phase, Casa de los Ángeles, attends families from other regions that seek support while their children are in medical treatments for diseases such as cancer or HIV. The second phase,

• From the Parque Jaime Duque Foundation we want to awaken in those around us, the desire to value the family and approach those who suffer adversity, to build an increasingly fair and supportive society.