Ministry of Housing and SierraCol Energy, through the Fundación El Alcaraván, sign two agreements for more than 65 billion pesos

• The resources will be allocated to the construction and improvement of rural housing in the municipalities of Arauca and Arauquita.
• The agreement establishes the construction of 662 new rural homes and the improvement of another 155 housing units.
• The works will be carried out by the El Alcaraván Foundation, Ecopetrol, and SierraCol Energy.

Arauca, November 24, 2023. In an emotional event held at the headquarters of the El Alcaraván Foundation in the city of Arauca, the Minister of Housing, City, and Territory, Catalina Velasco, and the President of SierraCol Energy, Bernardo Ortiz, signed two agreements for the construction of 662 new homes and the improvement of another 155 rural housing units, for a value of $65.700 million pesos. Homes that will benefit hundreds of families from the communities of Arauca and Arauquita, will help improve their quality of life and generate job opportunities and other benefits for both municipalities.

In his speech, Bernardo Ortiz stated that “the best way to help the development of people and contribute to making Colombia a more prosperous country is for individuals and organizations with complementary ideas, interests, knowledge, and skills to be able to identify common purposes and shared goals, and work together to achieve them.”.

He also added that “this enhances the historical effort of the rural housing program of SierraCol Energy and the El Alcaraván Foundation, which has benefited thousands of people from Arauca, and now, thanks to this alliance with the National Government, we will leverage the investment and significantly multiply the benefits.”

Minister Velasco emphasized, “…really the most important thing is that this is done with the communities, with the popular organizations. It is a joy to have the communities of Arauca to carry out this very important project where we combine a peace effort… SierraCol came and told us they want to work with the Ministry… and three months have passed, saying and doing.”.

She added, “we are experiencing a change that really had not occurred in Arauca. A number of this size has never been seen before. There are 662 new rural homes, there has never been anything like this and 155 housing improvements.”

The event was attended by community leaders from the JACUP and JUNCALI Committees, the President of Asojuntas of Arauquita, the President of the Community Action Board of Vista Hermosa, as well as regional and local authorities from the Department. All of them will be key players in this project for the improvement and construction of housing for the Araucan community.

These agreements will enhance the resources that SierraCol Energy allocates as part of its Social Investment Plan, called “Together for Community Development,” agreed upon with the communities in a relationship of trust, transparency, and joint work.