Last weekend, President Gustavo Petro was in Cali to learn about Compromiso Valle, the initiative with great social impact carried out by the private sector of Valle del Cauca, through which companies in the region have allocated more than $80 billion for projects that benefit vulnerable communities, especially youth.
It was, without a doubt, a valuable meeting, since it is no secret to anyone that the Head of State keeps his distance from the business community and that many businessmen, likewise, have reservations about him. In Potrerogrande, where the event took place, the young people who lead these projects directly shared their experiences with Petro, who was able to learn about the great impact achieved by this initiative.
The interest of Valle del Cauca businessmen for less favored communities is not new; Cali is known as the city of foundations, because here, since 1960, with Carvajal as a pioneer, NGOs financed by the private sector that do great work began to appear. However, after the outbreak of 2021, Compromiso Valle emerged to articulate the contributions of the business sector for social investment, with a vision in which the beneficiary communities have a greater participation in the creation and execution of these initiatives.
However, it is clear that the work of the foundations and Compromiso Valle does not replace the State or cover the large number of needs that exist in the city and the region, but if corporate social work could be articulated with the work of the public sector, the scope of both parties would be potentiated.
Hopefully, after learning about these experiences, President Petro sees businessmen as allies in the fight against poverty and extends his hand to work together. With confidence more opportunities could be built.
Photo: Presidency of the Republic
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