Fondacio in South America
Fondacio In South America
It was in 1977, in Rome and then in France, that the first meetings took place between Domingo Santa Maria, a Chilean businessman involved in the Charismatic Renewal, and the Fondacio community.
A pedagogy that takes into account the human as a whole
Fondacio was born in 1974 in France, under the name of Community of Poitiers ( see our history )
In the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and within the framework of the “new communities” resulting from the Charismatic Renewal, its raison d’être is the formation and evangelization of the younger generations.
It was in 1977, in Rome and then in France, that the first meetings took place between Domingo Santa Maria, a Chilean businessman involved in the Charismatic Renewal, and the Fondacio community.
In July 1980, in Santiago de Chile, a first weekend of evangelization was given by Fondacio for about forty people. A year later, Fondacio was born there with 31 young Chilean adults and a strong dynamic of witness.
In the years that followed, Fondacio brought together people from different social backgrounds and embraced its vocation as a meeting place.
Fondacio has built a bridge between the people of the slums, the “pobladores” and the people of the wealthy neighborhoods, in responsibility in the economic or political world.
Fondacio in South America
The LOS ALMENDROS center in Santiago de Chile
Between the years 88 and 90, after a process of spiritual discernment, a plot of land was purchased in the municipality of Conchalí (today Huechuraba).
The objective was to create a center at the service of the mission of the Church and of society, to offer a “bridge” for encounter, unity and communion between different and distant socio-economic realities, but also for community activities and evangelism.
This center, Los Almendros, has mobilized many resources and energies to gradually become the platform for incubating and supporting many projects with a strong social and environmental component.
Fondacio's activities in Colombia
In 1997, some Colombian couples were formed in Chile and formed the germ of the presence of Fondacio in Colombia, in Bogota. One of the flagship activities since 2011 is OASIS, a development and solidarity project co-created in 2011 by Fondacio Colombia and the Colegio Emilio Valenzuela Foundation.
Oasis is located in a slum located on the heights of Bogota, in the territory of San Luis (18,000 inhabitants). This shantytown, in the process of being legalized, dates back to the 1960s, when the Colombian civil war forced many rural populations to flee to large urban centers. The people of San Luis are part of the 25% of Bogotán who live in illegal neighborhoods, which leads to a lack of investment in all structures: education, health, roads, property, etc.
In this context, Oasis seeks to be both a place at the service of the inhabitants of the neighborhood (in the areas of the environment, education and housing) but also a real bridge between local realities and those of volunteers and of volunteers who support a large part of Oasis’ activities. Since the beginning of 2019, the Oasis experience has been spreading to another district of Bogota strongly affected by immigration, CIUDAD BOLIVAR.
IFF South America
The last Fondacio Training Institute was created for the South American continent in 2014. IFF America is in partnership with Javierana University in Bogota and Alberto Hurtado University in Santiago de Chile.
Co-founded with two NGOs with a strong presence in the sub-continent, America Solidaria and Cristo Vive, IFF America has already welcomed students from around ten Latin American countries.
For more information on activities in these countries, please refer to the corresponding pages.
