MARINA ORTH FOUNDATION

AT THE MARINA ORTH FOUNDATION, A TAX-EXEMPT 501(C)3 NON-PROFIT PUBLIC CHARITY, WE ARE CONVINCED THAT AN EDUCATION IS A KEY ENGINE OF CHANGE AND CLOSES THE GAPS IN SOCIAL INEQUALITY THROUGH OUR CURRICULUM AND CLUBS FOR MORE THAN 4,700 COLOMBIAN STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN MEDELLIN AND SIX MUNICIPALITIES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTIOQUIA AND IN NUQUI, CHOCO, ON THE PACIFIC COAST, ONE OF THE MOST BIO-DIVERSE, YET POOREST AREAS OF COLOMBIA. WE BREAK BARRIERS AND BUILD BRIDGES TO A BRIGHT FUTURE BY PROVIDING OUR STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ENGLISH, ROBOTICS, TECHNOLOGY, EXPLORE THEIR VOCATIONS, AND ACCESS UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS. BEYOND ACQUIRING NEW SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE OUR STUDENTS ALSO DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS, RESILIENCE, CREATIVITY, INNOVATION, AND CRITICAL THINKING. OUR SUCCESS MEANS STRESSING (CON'T ON SCHEDULE O) TEAMWORK AND PROJECT BASED LEARNING TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY NEEDS. THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND ENGLISH COMBINED WITH STRONG INTERPERSONAL SKILLS ENABLES THEM TO ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS AND GOALS. OUR UNIQUE TEACHLAB PROVIDES ONE-ON-ONE AND VIRTUAL TRAINING FOR OUR TEACHERS TO SHARPEN THEIR SKILLS AND IMPROVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT. WE HAVE WON NUMEROUS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEDALS IN ROBOTICS. IN 2024, WITH THANKS TO OUR PRIVATE/PUBLIC PARTNERS, SOME OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE:ROBOTICS: OUR ROBOTICS CLUBS COMPETE AGAINST THE BEST STUDENTS FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN MEDELLIN AND THROUGHOUT COLOMBIA. OUR ELITE AND COMPETITION ROBOTICS TEAMS EACH WON 2 CHAMPIONSHIPS AND CAME HOME WITH 6 MEDALS. OUR ROBOTICS TEAM IN THE CHOCO WON THE SILVER MEDAL AT VIRTUAL ROBOJAM. IN 2024, WE WON 12 MEDALS IN TOTAL.EXPANDED INTO TWO ADDITIONAL AREAS:THANKS TO NEW SPONSORS, CUEROS VELEZ AND FUNDACION BOLIVAR DAVIVIENDA, THE MARINA ORTH FOUNDATION EXPANDED INTO TWO ADDITIONAL AREAS, THE MUNICIPALITIES OF AMAGA AND EL RETIRO. VACATION ROBOTICS FOR OVER 250 CHILDREN:WE INVENTED OUR OWN "ROBOKITS" TO TEACH VACATION ROBOTICS PLUS ENGLISH TO OVER 250 CHILDREN DURING THEIR TIME OFF FROM SCHOOL. SOME PROJECTS STUDENTS CREATED INCLUDE HEART RATE MONITORS, SMART LAMPS, HARVESTING AND ROBOTIC SPIDERS, ALONG WITH A VEHICLE FLOWER CARRIER WITH A SOLAR PANEL, AND A TELE-OPERATED ROBOT.SCHOLARSHIPS:WE CURRENTLY HAVE 36 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS PURSUING THEIR DREAMS THROUGH UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAMS. OUR SCHOLARS ARE GRADUATING AS LAWYERS, ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS, AND COMPUTER ENGINEERS.STEAM CAMP:WE OPERATED A STEAM CAMP FOR THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IN EL CARMEN DE VIBORAL WHERE OVER 300 STUDENTS WHO LEARNED THE BASIC OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, 3D PRINTING, AND VIRTUAL REALITY.TEACHLABS:WE PROVIDED 136 PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS FROM 6 SCHOOLS BOTH ONE-ON-ONE AND VIRTUAL SKILLS TO MODERNIZE THEIR OUTDATED TEACHING METHODS.