At Caoba, we feel a strong sense of commitment to our community. Since our firm's inception, we created the Caoba Foundation, or Fundación Caoba, with the purpose of donating a substantial amount of our yearly profits to education projects in our home country of El Salvador.
Starting in 2008, Fundación Caoba made a five-year commitment to Fundación Gloria de Kriete (www.fundaciongloriakriete.org) whereby FGK selects an annual recipient for a US$50,000 award for outstanding education projects. In addition to the monetary award, our staff visits the projects and spends time with the recipients. In some cases, Caoba Foundation's involvement may last beyond the year of the award, spanning other fundraising and development activities.
FGK 2008 AWARD
In our first year collaborating with Fundación Gloria de Kriete, they selected Fusalmo (www.fusalmo.org)
to win the US$50,000 Caoba Foundation Education Award for their program which helps youths develop entrepreneurship
and workplace skills. The project's two stages are (1) a technology training center focused on software, graphic design,
web design, IT and computer repair; and (2) a business incubator that allows entrepreneurs to rent the computer equipment
they need to develop their businesses. This program benefited 1,800 youths from the Don Bosco Integral Youth Program and
an additional 300 outside youths.
FGK 2009 AWARD
In 2009, the Caoba Foundation Education Award went to Fundación Educando a Un Salvadoreño (FESA, www.fesaelsalvador.com).
Since 1995, FESA has been fostering young baseball and soccer talents in their High Performance Center, offering coaching and training
in addition to academic and integral education. With a vision towards developing exemplary athletes that can be positive role models
in their environments, FESA has provided its holistic education model to hundreds of Salvadoran youths. Currently, 11 FESA graduates
have signed contracts with Major League Baseball teams, and 11 soccer players are in Spanish, Mexican, Colombian and MLS soccer clubs.
FGK 2010 AWARD
In 2010, Asociación de Jóvenes Hacia la Solidaridad y el Desarrollo (JOVESOLIDES, www.jovesolideselsalvador.org.sv) won the US$50,000 Caoba Foundation Education Award. Created in 2001 by college students with the help of several international aid organizations, JOVESOLIDES began the University Residential Project to help youths from rural areas of the country with limited resources to move to the city and have access to a college education by providing them with a place to stay during school terms. The specific project that won the award was for the construction of the second floor of the main university residential building, which will function as a multifunction area where tutoring, seminars, forums, and social activities for the resident students will take place.
FGK 2011 AWARD
The 2011 Caoba Foundation Education Award for US$50,000 was granted to Fundación Ayuda en Acción (www.ayudaenaccion.org) for their project "Mejora de la calidad educativa en el municipio de Coatepeque" which will build three classrooms in Coatepeque, Santa Ana.