Fundación Empresas Públicas de Medellín (Fundación EPM)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
 The Fundación Empresas Públicas de Medellín (Foundation of Public Companies of Medellin) is a private, social and not-for-profit foundation created in Medellin, Colombia in 2000 by
the city’s provider of public utilities (EPM) in partnership with local universities.
Our mission is to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of the communities of Medellin
through fostering education, promoting a culture of care and conservation of public utilities
and increasing the social value of public spaces where community participation as well as
social, technological and scientific research can flourish.
Our vision is to be by 2010 the leading foundation in Colombia and inside the EPM Business
Group. For this purpose we will be fully prepared to undertake the social programs that the
communities served by the Business Group require.
At Fundación EPM we understand that cooperation is key for success, thus, we have built
strong partnerships with the government of Medellin, universities, financial institutions and
other private and public entities, that devote financial and in-kind contributions to our
programs.
The underlying goal of all of our programs is to provide the people of Medellin with the
necessary tools to improve their living conditions and to assist them in being the builders of
their own development, while they learn to take care of the environment through a
responsible use of public utilities. In this regard, we strive for social, environmental and
economic sustainability in the communities of Medellin.
At Fundación EPM, we are deeply aware of the responsibility we have with our community,
therefore we work hard to improve the lives of those we serve. All of us at the Fundación
EPM jointly elaborated the “Ethics Code”, which states the principles that guide our work:
integrity, honesty, transparency, respect, commitment, team work, innovation and service
orientation. We have pledged to make this Code a way of living.
MAIN PROGRAMS
To accomplish our mission, we engage in programs and projects that foster innovation,
scientific research, technological development, community participation and social,
education and cultural outreach activities, all relative to the use of domiciliary public
utilities.
Our main programs are:
 EPM Interactive Museum: Science and technology museum where visitors can
touch, experiment and learn first-hand about environmental processes and their
relationship with the responsible use of public utilities.
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 Park of the Wishes (Parque de los Deseos): Interactive, recreational and scientific
park where visitors will understand astronomy concepts and their relationship with the
use of public utilities, particularly water, energy and communications.
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 Park of the Barefoot (Parque de los Pies Descalzos): Recreational park where
visitors enjoy ludic, cultural and educational activities related to the use of public utilities
and their relationship with the environment.
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 The Common Points (Punto Común) and Small Community Centers: Internet
venues located in Medellin’s poorest neighborhoods, where communities have access to
the new information and communication technologies (ICTs). These venues have been
established at the request of the communities and with their participation.
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 Click for Better Learning (Click: Aprendo Mejor): Training and technical assistance
to improve the use of ICTs in public schools. It includes installing computers in schools,
providing permanent technical assistance and encourage the development of innovative
software solutions.
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 Network of Public Libraries of Medellin: Links public libraries to multiply access to
services, resources and collections, with a huge impact on educational attainment and
community involvement.
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 Puro Campo: Program to guarantee sustainable economic and environmental
conditions in the production of arepa. (Arepa is a corn-based tortilla, traditional from
Colombia and other countries)
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 An Adventure through my city and my region: Children in public schools between 8
– 12 years old tour Medellin and its surrounding municipalities to better understand their
culture and environment, as well as their role in preserving them.
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 Searching for Christmas: Children between 7 and 12 years old from the poorest
communities in Medellin’s Metropolitan Area tour the city during Christmas to appreciate
the beautiful decoration.
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 The Music House: Musicians from across the Metropolitan Area gather every day in
this house to rehearse and improve their practice. There is not monetary cost for using
the house and the available instruments, but musicians should recompense this service
by giving free performances in the Park of the Wishes.
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MAIN ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Only seven years after its creation, Fundación EPM has achieved great accomplishments in
education, information and communication technologies, innovation, community
participation and social capital development.
Main accomplishments:
• Our parks (Wishes and Barefoot) have strengthen the social tissue in Medellin and
developed a culture of care and conservation of public utilities. They are unique and
Fundación Empresas Públicas de Medellín (Fundación EPM)
innovative spaces to educate people about environmental preservation, while they
contribute to building social cohesion. They are considered some of the best public
spaces in the city due to the quality of their installations and programming, and they are
visited by more than 1.5 million people annually.
• The EPM Interactive Museum was opened in 2000 as the first museum of its kind in the
city and only the second in Colombia. It is visited by more than 200,000 people every
year, who can play, experiment and learn first-hand about environmental conservation
and the adequate use of public utilities, moreover, visitors understand the
responsibilities they have with future generations. In 2006 it was renovated to
incorporate the latest technologies and it continues at the forefront of experimental
learning in the city. To build it, many interactive museums of the world were visited,
however, its features and exhibits were designed by Colombians for Colombians,
respecting the uniqueness of our culture and ecosystem.
• The Common Points (10 locations) and the Small Community Centers (11) provide
access to ICTs to some of Medellin’s poorest neighborhoods and they have proven to be
important spaces for community participation and development. Communities have
developed a sense of ownership over these venues and, in the case of the Small
Community Centers, they are co-financing their operation. This ownership implies
excellent care and extensive use of the facilities and it guarantees sustainability.
Annually more than 350,000 make use of the Common Points, which would not exist
without the investment of Fundación EPM.
• The network of public libraries provides unlimited possibilities for knowledge and
research and has a huge impact on educational and cultural development. The
partnerships built around this network, as well as the quality and usefulness of its portal,
make it a solid and sustainable initiative.
• Through some of our programs, young generations have achieved a better
understanding of their city, learned to value and respect different communities and
developed a sense of pride and regional identity, all of these extremely valuable in
strengthening social cohesion. The program “An Adventure through my city and my
region” provides educational tours to around 50,000 children between 7 and 12 yearsold
and trains more than 1,000 teachers annually in regional development,
environmental conservation and efficient use of public utilities.
• The partnerships we have developed in all of our programs are also an important
accomplishment. They are based on synergies and use each partner’s comparative
advantage and installed capacity.
• We have positioned ourselves as active agents of change and key development
contributors in the region. We follow closely the guidelines of the municipal development
strategy and strive to make it a reality.
DECISION MAKING PROCESS
Since its creation, planning has been a fundamental aspect in the administration of
Fundación EPM. The General Assembly sets the general goals of the Foundation, aligning
Fundación Empresas Públicas de Medellín (Fundación EPM)
them with the municipal development strategy, thus, making the Foundation a key player in
the social and economic agenda of the city. The Assembly is the main decision-making
body of Fundación EPM, it is chaired by the Mayor of Medellin and attended by delegates
from EPM and founding universities.
The goals set by the Assembly are transformed into specific targets and actions by the
Executive Director and the Directing Council. They do so at the beginning of every year and
meet every month to verify they are on track. Annually these two bodies present a report
to the General Assembly containing the activities undertaken, the results achieved and the
performance indicators.
All of our programs have a clear set of performance indicators that account for number and
characteristics of people served, usage frequencies, direct and indirect jobs created and
maintenance costs, among other.
Program leaders hold meetings regularly with program personnel to identify the main
difficulties, accomplishments and lessons learned. Every six months a general meeting of
the director, leaders and employees is held where these lessons and difficulties are shared
and the necessary adjustments are made to each program. This way we guarantee that we
are permanently improving our services and feeding our lessons back into the process. The
results of these meetings are the basis of the report submitted to the General Assembly.
In 2006, after receiving the input of all of our employees, we approved the Strategic Plan,
which sets the new mission and vision of Fundación EPM and improves the definition of
targets and indicators.
The Foundation also has a system of internal control to guarantee that we are fulfilling our
objectives and managing our resources efficiently and transparently. This system is
managed by Fundación EPM’s Area of Internal Control and we have Price-Waterhouse as
external auditors.
A continuous improvement system (KAISEN methodology) is in place for the management
of the parks and Interactive Museum. Every year operations are improved and costs are
reduced thanks to this system.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Fundación Empresas Públicas de Medellín
Cra 58 # 42 – 125 Piso 1, Torre Norte
Medellín, Colombia
Latin American / Andean Region
Telephone: (574) 380 6960 -
Fax: (574) 380 6964
Website: http://www.fundacionepm.org.co/
Email: info@fundacionepm.org.co
Texts in English by: Makaia Asesoría Internacional (www.makaia.org) |
