The Marina Orth Foundation Celebrates 20 Years of Transforming Lives, with a Social Impact Reaching More Than 30,000 Direct Beneficiaries.
Medellín, El Carmen de Viboral, La Ceja, El Retiro, Amagá, El Bagre, Barbosa, Nuquí (Chocó) are some of the municipalities that have received the Foundation's educational programs. Systems engineers, lawyers, teachers and entrepreneurs have been part of the more than 120 scholarship recipients of the Foundation during its two decades of impact, who have [...]
720 Students in Medellín Trained in Robotics, AI, and Virtual Reality through STEM Bootcamp
In a joint initiative of the Marina Orth Foundation and the Mayor's Office of Medellín, 720 students and 24 teachers from public institutions in the neighborhoods of Castilla, Buenos Aires, Villa Hermosa and the district of Santa Elena participated in a five-day New Technologies Bootcamp. Using a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) methodology, the participants explored hands-on learning in robotics, [...]
From a Mountain School to Global Excellence: Celebrating 20 Years of the Marina Orth Foundation
Former Peace Corps volunteer Maureen Orth launches anniversary campaign to continue transforming lives in Colombia Originally written by Glenn Blumhorst and published in Peace Corps Worldwide (https://peacecorpsworldwide.substack.com/p/from-a-mountain-school-to-global) on October 14. In 1965, a young Peace Corps Volunteer named Maureen Orth was on a rural hillside in Colombia, helping to [...]
Transforming Education in Nuquí: Technology, Innovation, and Community
In 2019, the Marina Orth Foundation embarked on an ambitious dream: to bring technology, innovative methodologies and new opportunities to the Litoral Pacífico Ecotourism Educational Institution in Nuquí, Chocó. The challenge was enormous: damaged roofs, an underutilized computer room, almost non-existent connectivity and a technological gap that limited learning. However, the goal was clear: to [...]
Total Pride: Our Young People Shine at the Robotics World Championship in South Korea
We at the Marina Orth Foundation are very proud. Our students Manuela, Jerónimo, Shalin and Salomé, from rural communities in Antioquia, represented Colombia in the 12th International Youth Robot Competition (IYRC), held on August 5 and 6 in South Korea, and returned with gold and silver medals and mentions of excellence. [...]
We are Present at the International Congress for Social-Emotional Education 2025
The Marina Orth Foundation is proud to announce the participation of Sindy Patiño García, our Socioemotional Skills Coordinator, as a speaker at the International Congress for Socioemotional Education (CIPESE), which will be held on May 7 and 8 in Villavicencio, Meta, organized by the Fundación Crear Soluciones con Las Manos. In her speech, Sindy [....]
Education with Purpose: A 2024 of Achievements and New Challenges!
In 2024, we reaffirmed our commitment to transform lives through innovative and quality education. With an impact on more than 4,700 children and young people in six municipalities in Antioquia and Chocó, we achieved milestones that fill us with pride. We are deeply grateful to every ally, volunteer, teacher, student and donor for making possible a 2024 [...]
Our STEM Program Has Evolved: Introducing TeachLabs
At the Marina Orth Foundation, we believe in constant innovation as a driver of educational change. Therefore, we are pleased to announce a major transformation in one of our flagship programs: from now on, the STEM program is renamed TeachLabs. This new name more closely reflects our updated approach, [...]
From the Colombian Countryside to the IYRC Robotics World Championship! Students From Rural Areas of Antioquia Will Represent Colombia in South Korea
Four talented young people from rural educational institutions in Medellín and El Carmen de Viboral are making history: Manuela, Jerónimo, Salomé and Shalin, members of the Marina Orth Foundation's Robotics Elite Team, after winning the national competitions, qualified to compete in the International Youth Robotics Competition (IYRC) 2025, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world [...]
Our Elite Team is champion in the IYRC Colombia 2025 and prepares for the Robotics World Cup in South Korea!
Last Saturday, March 29, our Elite Team shined in the International Youth Robotic Competition (IYRC) Colombia, achieving the full podium in two important categories: Salomé, Shalin, Sofía, María Isabel, Manuela, Dahiana, Robinson, Jerónimo and Brahian demonstrated once again that talent, discipline and teamwork always pay off. This incredible achievement encourages us to continue preparing for the [...]
Inspiring Results: Management Report 2024
Discover how we transform lives through education. In this report, we celebrate the progress of our educational programs, designed to empower girls, boys and young people in different territories of Colombia. Learn about the stories and achievements that reflect the collective efforts of students, teachers and partners. Each goal achieved is a step [...]
We received an Honorable Mention! Nicanor Restrepo Santamaría Award
We were awarded an Honorable Mention in the 5th edition of the Nicanor Restrepo Santamaría Award, in the category of educational practices. Of the 174 applications evaluated, our project “Empowering Educators: Capsules for Excellence” of our STEM program obtained one of the highest scores. This project seeks to: -Integrate areas, knowledge and work by projects -Inspire [...]
Check out our 2023 Annual Report!
In this report, you will find our greatest achievements in the different educational programs that we carry out for the benefit of the rural and most vulnerable communities in our country. We highlight the milestones achieved in: Robotics, STEM, Vocational Guidance, Socioemotional Skills, Digital Literacy, English and Scholarships. We invite you to take a closer look at the impact of our initiatives and [...]
The elite robotics team shines in the IYRC-Colombia 2024 competition
We dominated the entire podium in the IYRC-International Youth Robotic Competition-Colombia, in its 2024 version. We won gold, silver and bronze in the ”Save The Forest” category, as well as gold and silver in the ”Creation” category. The elite robotics team, made up of the best talents of the robotics clubs of our country, [...]
We were selected in the 2024 Territorial Call of the Bolívar Davivienda Foundation
Our project ”Robotics Clubs” was one of the four selected in the department of Antioquia in the Territorial Call of the Bolivar Davivienda Foundation. This call, which is held annually, seeks projects that generate a positive impact on the community, and we are proud to report that our project has been selected as one of the [...]
2023 Robotic Champions: Triumph in International and National Competitions
We celebrated exciting milestones with our teams on the international robotics stage! The IYRC World Cup in South Korea awarded us the prestigious third place in the Save The Forest category. Robojam Latam gave us a brilliant silver medal in the Bristle Race category. At home, in IYRC Colombia, we stood out with medals of [...]
Municipal Science Fairs ’23: Three Prize-Winning Innovative Projects
In an outstanding participation, our students shined in the recent versions of the Municipal Science Fair in El Carmen de Viboral and La Ceja, with 3 exciting projects: 1. “Framcasolar”: Robotics students from I.E Francisco María Cardona presented this revolutionary prototype composed of solar panels. Named “Framcasolar”, the project illuminates the [...]
Breaking Educational Borders: Marina Orth Foundation STEM Presentations Features at Virtual Educa 2023.
For the second consecutive year, we participated in Virtual Educa 2023 with the presentation entitled “Integrative STEM Approach: A Look at Rural Education in the Colombian Context”. This year, we stand out as the only Colombian presentation selected in the category: “Evaluation, Quality, Inclusion and Coexistence”. Being present for the second year sharing our experiences allows us to continue to consolidate our position as one of [...]
We are a benchmark for social intervention in Chocó!
The Chancellery of Ecuador and the Government of Chocó learned about the work we have been doing with students and teachers of the Ecoturistica Litoral Pacifico educational institution in Nuquí, Chocó, in digital literacy, robotics, STEM and food security. We have impacted more than 400 students, more than 15 teachers and 450 XO computers for the [...]