• 117 educational practitioners participated in this project, impacting 240 families and
  over 1,000 children.
• In addition to transforming pedagogical spaces, the project developed a
  training program for educators and caregivers to strengthen their teaching
  practices.

Cartagena de Indias, September 16, 2025. Aiming to improve learning and care opportunities during children's early years, Fundación Santo Domingo and aeioTU delivered six renovated early childhood education spaces in the communities of Isla de Barú and the Bicentenario Megabarrio in Cartagena, as part of the *Aprende y Transforma* (Learn and Transform) project.

Through this initiative—which involved 117 educational practitioners and impacted 240 families in these communities—facilities were upgraded to ensure safe, inclusive, and stimulating environments designed to foster children's holistic development. These spaces are now intentionally organized and designed to enhance play, reading, and exploration for hundreds of children, helping them reach their full potential. Furthermore, teachers now have an environment that supports the strengthening of their daily practice.

As explained by Verónica Trujillo, Cartagena Project Manager at Fundación Santo Domingo: "We reaffirm our commitment to Cartagena's communities and to early childhood. Together with aeioTU, we have succeeded in transforming these spaces so that every child has an environment where they can learn, grow, and enjoy well-being. We have also strengthened the capabilities of the community, educators, and families, reaffirming that together we can transform early childhood education in Cartagena."

In addition to transforming pedagogical spaces, the project developed a training program for educators and caregivers to strengthen their teaching practices. Additionally, events such as *Aprende y Transforma al Parque* (Learn and Transform in the Park) were held—open, meaningful play spaces that brought together community leaders, local organizations, educators, informal caregivers, families, and over 1,044 children from Isla de Barú and the Bicentenario Megabarrio.

For Victoria Arciniegas, Executive Director of aeioTU, “reducing existing gaps in quality early childhood education in Colombia is a priority. This initiative makes a significant contribution to that goal in Cartagena communities, where children will now have suitable spaces for learning and play, and educators and families will have better tools to support the process.”

The project also coordinated 28 public and private organizations to strengthen comprehensive child care through an intersectoral approach—utilizing a Community of Practice and two Communities of Learning (one in each area, involving 78 stakeholders)—thereby driving the transformation of the early childhood ecosystem at both local and regional levels.

Through the *Aprende y Transforma* initiative, the Santo Domingo Foundation and aeioTU reaffirmed their commitment to a comprehensive care model that promotes early childhood education as a decisive factor for social and community development, generating sustainable impacts on early childhood.
 

We are a family foundation that, for 65 years, has led and coordinated projects with strategic partners across the country to drive systemic, sustainable change in four key areas that improve quality of life and foster progress for people in Colombia: health, education, the environment, and territorial development. We are committed to making high-impact, long-term sustainable investments that transform the nation. To this end, we champion innovative initiatives that address critical regional challenges and offer the potential for replication and scaling across the entire country.

About aeioTU

aeioTU is a Colombian social enterprise that has been working for 17 years with the goal of transforming communities in a systemic, innovative, and sustainable way by unlocking the full potential of children. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, it has developed the aeioTU Educational Experience—an early childhood education model backed by measurement and scientific evidence—in which art, play, and inquiry serve as fundamental pillars for child development, family engagement, and community growth.