Fundacion para la Reconciliacion

Not yet verified
Logo5.jpg
FPR promotes forgiveness and reconciliation through schools in 16 departments in Colombia. It also works to promote peace and co-existence.
Last updated: November 2018

Fundación para la Reconciliación (the 'Foundation for Reconciliation') started in 2001 working on peacebuilding, and since 2003 has developed the 'Escuelas de Perdón y Reconciliación' ('Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation' - ESPERE) in order to promote peace and co-existence. It works with communities in vulnerable areas of the country by encouraging civil participation, training young peace leaders, and providing psychological assistance to ex-combatants, displaced people and victims of violence. Currently, it is promoting a programme on 'putting together the peace' through its network of schools.

The ESPERE method has been applied in different scenarios including prisons, companies, schools and churches, and its good practices and experiences have been taken to countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Canada and the USA, for them to replicate the peacebuilding model.

The Fundación emphasises the experiences of forgiveness and reconciliation in its workshops by addressing memories of violence so that they contribute to the conflict resolution and peace. Fundación para la Reconciliación believes in a solution beyond military confrontation or the negotiation process - society needs to be healed at a more fundamental level - to provide a basis for communities in conflict to build a common future together.

In 2004 the Fundación, with the support of the UN University of Peace, held a training course for promoters of reconciliation and co-existence to help the reintegration of ex-combatants into society.

The implementation of the centres in the city of Bogotá was highly praised by the city council, which recognised it with a prize. In 2006 the Fundación para la Reconciliación was also rewarded for its commitment and efforts on peacebuilding by UNESCO.


Latest from Colombia

More on Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR)

Share your peacebuilding work

If you work for, or know of, a peacebuilding initiative, we'd love to hear from you! You can submit information on a peacebuilding organisation or initiative to be included in the mapping on our site.
Share your peacebuilding work →

Explore related peacebuilding organisations

Submit an organisation: Is Peace Insight missing a peacebuilding organisation or initiative? Click here to tell us.