Gran Tierra Energy, the FC Barcelona Foundation, Colombia’s Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN) and the World Vision International Foundation, continue their strategic alliance to increase resilience in vulnerable children and reduce their susceptibility to two important Human Rights concerns in the area: substance abuse and militia recruitment.
Financed by GTE, the program is implemented by the Youth Violence Prevention Program of the Barça Foundation and uses football as a unifying tool for children from vulnerable populations, children living in poverty and descendants of Afro-Indigenous minorities to learn about conflict resolution, prosocial behaviour development and other important life skills. Expected long-term outcomes include stronger, more stable communities, greater educational attainment, increased employment and positive health indicators.
According to the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF), the project has been effective in preventing forced recruitment of minors, having documented multiple cases of preventions in program participants. To date, the Preventing Child Recruitment Program directly prevented 10 cases of forced recruitment and intervened in multiple cases of intrafamily violence, ensuring at-risk children receive protection and care. The project also helps female victims of sexual and physical violence with psychiatric, emotional and legal support.
The program works directly with schools, teachers, families, and caregivers to reinforce protective practices at school and home. Prevention efforts focus on building awareness and support systems in the environments where children spend the most time. The program has also resulted in a decrease of school dropout rates in the municipalities where it is delivered. In 2025, the Preventing Child Recruitment program benefited 5,500 participating children, families, and caregivers.
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reduction in school dropout rates
Teachers who participated in the program reported a 47% reduction rate in school dropouts
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beneficiaries
5,500 children, families and caregivers have benefited from the Preventing Child Recruitment program, including those living in poverty & descendants of Afro-Indigenous minorities
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prevention cases
10 cases of forced recruitment were prevented to date
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