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Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
By improving education and awareness-
raising among the families and the com-
munities, as well as refurbishing the
schools, overhauling the basic servicies
and applying nutritional programs, the
project seeks to reduce the school drop-
out rate and to foster the development of
the communities where it is established.
Piecitos Colorados is managed by Fun-
dación Prosegur and is currently set up
in seven countries (Argentina, Brazil,
Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and
Uruguay), where it benefits more than
4,000
students from 30 schools in differ-
ent intervention phases.
The origins of the project date back to
2006,
when a group of Prosegur em-
ployees in Argentina discovered the dif-
ficult situation of some rural schools in
the north of the country, with serious
shortcomings in their infrastructures
and basic services. They were located in
isolated zones and the students had to
walk for miles to attend class, resulting in
their feet being stained by the red earth
of the path – they were affectionately
referred to by their teachers as “piecitos
colorados” (little red feet).
The Company – at a local level – de-
cided to support them by means of a
school sponsorship process to rebuild
their facilities. One year later, this spon-
taneous and initial aid played a funda-
mental role in Fundación Prosegur’s
decision to take over the project, put it
on a professional footing, and extend
it to other countries of Latin America,
with the conviction that education is
the best future guarantee for these
“
piecitos.”
For a comprehensive education
Piecitos Colorados, as a development
cooperation program, wants to be an
agent for change. Its comprehensive
approach means that it avoids one-off
interventions to emphasize education
and cooperation. By developing human
capacities and improving the use of the
local resources, the aspiration is that
the schools achieve higher levels of self-
management and autonomy in the long
run by increasing their development
opportunities.
In order to work in such different con-
texts and countries without losing the
essence of the project, Prosegur produced
an Internal Manual. It is followed by all
teams involved in Piecitos Colorados,
and, among other things, sets out the
main criteria for selecting a school that
may qualify for the program. Further-
more, the initiative has its own Business
Plan, subject to a quarterly reporting
procedure, in order to administer the
resources transparently and exercise
their effective control.
Piecitos Colorados believes in establish-
ing a strong link with each beneficiary
educational center. Therefore, once the
school is selected, an Affiliation Agree-
ment is entered into to guarantee a trans-
parent intervention and to break down
Piecitos Colorados –
Educating to Develop
Latin America
Prosegur
Piecitos Colorados is a Prosegur development cooperation project that seeks to improve the
comprehensive education and the quality of life of children living in disadvantaged areas of
Latin America where the Company is present. With an emphasis on a long-term sustainable
approach, the program prioritizes the teachers, students, and their families being actively
committed to transforming the schools and to turning them into the driving forces of their
communities.
By Prosegur