Ciénaga, May 4, 2026
Within the framework of the second phase of the “Zona Bananera Sustainable Territory Alliance” strategy, works were delivered that continue to promote sustainable development in the municipality, through the improvement of educational infrastructure and community strengthening.
This inter-institutional initiative, in which Drummond Ltd. participates along with Fairtrade certified organizations such as ASOCOOMAG, ASOBANARCOOP, COOBAFRÍO, EMPREBANCOOP, COOMULBANANO, COOBAMAG, CORTRABAM, CORPORAGROS and Fundación Unibán, consolidates a joint work model aimed at generating positive impacts in the communities of the territory.
In this phase, projects were implemented in four rural educational institutions, thanks to an investment financed with Fairtrade resources, derived from contributions from banana producers and the coal mining sector, which allows for further expansion of the strategy that now includes eight educational projects in the municipality.
Mayra Poveda Contreras, senior supervisor of community and government relations for Drummond Ltd. in Magdalena, stated: “At Drummond Ltd. we believe in the power of partnerships to generate sustainable transformations in the territories. This initiative reflects how collaboration between the productive sector, social organizations, and communities allows progress in strengthening rural education and building more dignified environments for new generations.”
The interventions were done at the departmental educational institutions Armando Estrada Flórez (main campus and La Holleta campus), Las Mercedes (Guáimaro campus) and Humberto Velásquez García (Concentration campus), benefiting approximately 2,800 students.
“I want to highlight the investment made by the Zona Bananera Sustainable Territory Alliance, which improved the spaces where students receive their classes. “Thanks to this support, we now have pleasant and comfortable spaces to receive their classes,” commented David Villanueva Bermúdez, rector of the E.I. Armando Estrada Flórez.
The interventions included the adaptation and construction of classrooms, the improvement of community spaces such as auditoriums and school dining halls, as well as the optimization of kitchens, sanitary facilities and circulation areas. Solutions focused on well-being and school retention were also incorporated, such as ventilation systems, architectural roofs, pergolas for thermal comfort and the creation of recreational spaces, school gardens and green areas.
With this second phase, the Zona Bananera Sustainable Territory Alliance reaffirms its contribution to closing social gaps and to the sustainable development of the territory, promoting co-responsibility between sectors and the well-being of the communities.