SierraCol Energy drives connectivity in 24 rural schools in the department of Arauca

With an event held at the headquarters of the El Alcaraván Foundation, in the city of Arauca, the project “Connectivity with Purpose” was inaugurated today, which allowed 24 rural schools in the municipality of Arauquita to connect to the Internet. This was an effort developed by important private companies: SierraCol Energy Arauca, LLC (SierraCol Energy), Ecopetrol, the El Alcaraván Foundation, Microsoft, and Anditel, with the support of the public sector.

• More than 3,000 people benefited, including students and families
• The initiative is aligned with the Territorial Development Programs (PDET) and the Development Plan of the Municipality of Arauquita
• In partnership with Ecopetrol, the El Alcaraván Foundation, Microsoft, Anditel, and entities of the National and regional Government, this project was developed under the slogan: “educate, communicate, and inspire.”.

The initiative, which required an investment of over 1.5 billion pesos, consisted of infrastructure installation, equipping schools with telecommunications equipment, and providing internet service for two years, free of charge.

The broadband signal reaches these remote rural areas thanks to the “Airband” technology developed by Microsoft, which utilizes unused electromagnetic spectrum spaces by television channels. In turn, the infrastructure installation was handled by Anditel's technical team.

At the event, representatives from private companies and allied entities participated in person, as well as special guests from the educational community. Beneficiary institutions connected virtually.

Representing the National Government, Gheidy Gallo, Presidential Advisor for Women's Equity and Godmother of the Future Zone of Arauca, participated in person, thanking the private sector for its commitment to the region's development and highlighting: “public-private partnerships allow for significant changes like those that begin today for the girls and boys of Arauquita, who are being opened the doors to the world with this project that will allow them to access digital connection and quality education. The Future Zone strategy arrives in Arauca with actions.”.

Maria de la Paz Garcia, Social Responsibility Manager of SierraCol Energy, stated: “I feel very proud of the result of this teamwork, which had the best allies, articulating the management capacity and efforts of the public and private sectors to make a challenging and ambitious project a reality. We are confident that teachers will know how to take advantage of the Connectivity with Purpose project to educate, communicate, and inspire the young generations of Arauca, so they can work for their Department and for the increase of regional competitiveness.”.

For his part, Jaime Galviz, General Manager of Microsoft Colombia, assured: “Our mission to empower every person and every organization to achieve more, in Colombia and around the planet, would be incomplete if we left the rural areas behind. We would not be true to our principles if we did not focus on education in schools and also on the development of skills. Today we want to celebrate that everyone has believed in the power of partnerships, betting together to make a difference and reduce the existing gap between the countryside, the city, and the world.”.

Santiago Jaramillo, General Manager of Anditel, indicated during the event: “Today more than ever, technology is the best tool to level the playing field, provide access to the world, and allow the wonderful task of closing gaps to be achieved. The gateway is connectivity, and with the concert of companies, the National and local Government, who share this dream, we have been working in silence and with love for almost two years, so that today we can proudly inaugurate the connectivity systems of 24 schools and two Wifi zones that opened the door to the world for more than three thousand Araucans.”.

The educational centers that now have internet service and have nearly 1,200 students belong to the rural areas of: Caño Arenas, El Caucho, La Arenosa, Los Angelitos, La Osa, Puerto Nuevo, Barranquillita, Mazaguaros, Nueva Jerusalén, El Carmen, El Guayacán, El Paraíso, La Gloria, La Reserva, Los Colonos, Los Fundadores, Mata de Coco, Playa Rica, San Isidro, Santa Clara, Santa Isabel de Caranal, and Vista Hermosa. Likewise, in the localities of Panamá de Arauca and La Pesquera, the service will also benefit about 2,000 inhabitants of these two communities.

As part of strengthening rural education, each of the beneficiary educational institutions was provided with a television and a computer. Likewise, the community will have the opportunity to receive training in information technologies to make the most of the existing opportunities in the global information network.

This effort is an example of the social investment practices that SierraCol Energy, the largest independent oil producer in Colombia and operator of the Caño Limón and Caricare fields, develops responsibly, generating well-being for the Araucan community.