Brazilian soccer club Chapecoense arrives in Medellín on Thursday, September 24, for a four-day visit marking 10 years since the LaMia air disaster in La Unión, Antioquia. The visit is part of a program, announced by the Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Medellín in a September 22 release, that runs through September 29 and includes the unveiling of a memorial at the crash site, a groundbreaking for a larger monument in the town, and a friendly match against Atlético Nacional at Medellín’s Estadio Atanasio Girardot on Saturday, September 26.

On the night of November 28, 2016, an aircraft of the private Bolivian airline LaMia went down on a hillside in the vereda (rural district) of Pantalio, in La Unión, near José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro, which serves Medellín. The crash killed 71 of the people on board, who were Brazilian, Bolivian, Paraguayan and Venezuelan nationals, as Chapecoense traveled to face Atlético Nacional in the final of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana. Six people survived. Colombia’s Aeronáutica Civil (Civil Aviation Authority) later concluded that the aircraft had run out of fuel. At Atlético Nacional’s request, CONMEBOL declared Chapecoense the 2016 champion, according to El Deportivo. The consulate describes the match as a tribute to the Campeones del Cielo (Champions of the Sky), the name given to the victims.

The visit also includes a cornerstone ceremony for a larger, second monument in La Unión that, according to the regional sportswriters’ association ACORD Antioquia, is financed by a group of Brazilian and Colombian companies. Builders affiliated with Camacol Antioquia, the regional chapter of Colombia’s construction chamber, are also backing the project, according to the consulate.

Airport Reception and a Ceremony at the Crash Site

The delegation will be received on Thursday afternoon at José María Córdova airport by staff of Airplan, the concessionaire that operates the terminal, whose employees supported the survivors in the hours after the crash, according to the consulate. On Friday morning, Atlético Nacional will hold a ceremony for the visitors at its training facility in Guarne, in eastern Antioquia.

That afternoon, the Brazilian delegation of players, coaching staff, club directors, press and invited guests will travel to Pantalio, to the hill where the aircraft came down, which the consulate says was renamed Cerro Chapecoense shortly after the accident. The ceremony there includes a prayer, the unveiling of the first memorial to the victims, remarks by local and Brazilian officials, and the raising of the flags of Brazil, Chapecoense and the municipality of La Unión. The memorial is a monolith clad in black marble and inscribed with references to the tragedy. It was donated by the Eco Parque Chapecoense, according to ACORD Antioquia.

The Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana (Colombian Aerospace Force), known as the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (Colombian Air Force) at the time of the crash, led the rescue of that night’s survivors and the transfer of the victims’ remains. The consulate said the force may fly over the site during the ceremony if weather and operational conditions allow.

The altimeter from the LaMia aircraft, kept by residents of La Unión and being donated to Chapecoense. (Photo courtesy Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Medellín)

Residents of the area have kept components of the aircraft in a Chapecoense museum in La Unión. At the ceremony, they will donate to the club the aircraft’s altimeter, which the consulate says carries symbolic information from the moment of the crash. The instrument will go to the club’s own museum in Chapecó, Brazil. ACORD Antioquia reported that club president Alex Boff Passos will receive a piece from the local memorial museum on behalf of Chapecoense.

Groundbreaking for the Memorial La Unión–Chapecó

From the hillside, the delegation will move to the 19 de Diciembre sports complex in the center of La Unión, where the Alcaldía de La Unión (La Unión Mayor’s Office) has designated land for a larger monument, the Memorial La Unión–Chapecó. Camacol Antioquia is organizing the cornerstone ceremony with the mayor’s office, the municipal council and the consulate. The sculptors who worked on both memorials will attend.

Design renderings and a reference image for the Memorial La Unión–Chapecó. (Image courtesy Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Medellín)

ACORD Antioquia reported that the project has been led for several years by Sergio Escobar Solórzano, whom El Colombiano identified as Brazil’s honorary consul in Antioquia. El Colombiano reported in May that the design includes a circular plaza for commemorative events, a wall of plaques, 71 beams of light projected into the night sky, one for each victim, and a park of Colombian and Brazilian flags, and that sculptors Nelson Agustín Agudelo and Carolina Castaño would build it. Under that plan, Camacol Antioquia would supply materials and design, the municipality would provide labor, and Brazilian manufacturer WEG (B3: WEGE3; OTC: WEGZY), which the newspaper said has offices in Rionegro, would contribute energy components. Ferney Lotero, first vice president of the La Unión municipal council, told the newspaper: “Hay muchas empresas que van a aportar” (Many companies are going to contribute). The target then was completion by the 10th anniversary in November, and the newspaper reported that the final budget had not been set. The consulate’s release does not give an updated completion date or budget.

Site plan and aerial rendering of the Memorial La Unión–Chapecó prepared with Camacol Antioquia. (Image courtesy Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Medellín)

The Partido de la Amistad Eterna at the Atanasio Girardot

Atlético Nacional and Chapecoense meet on Saturday, September 26, at 3:30 p.m. in the Partido de la Amistad Eterna (Match of Eternal Friendship), which its organizer has described as a reunion that transcends soccer. The consulate’s release and the promotional poster list a 4 p.m. start, while ACORD Antioquia and Deportes RCN report 3:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale through Atlético Nacional’s Tribuna Verde platform. Deportes RCN reported single-ticket prices, including service and delivery charges, ranging from $44,648 COP for the gramilla (field level) and the north and south stands to $190,230 COP for the platea (premium seating) section, with lower prices for season-ticket holders.

Promotional poster for the Partido de la Amistad Eterna between Atlético Nacional and Chapecoense. (Image courtesy Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Medellín)

Before kickoff, organizers plan to recognize people the consulate calls the “invisible heroes” of the night of the crash, followed by remarks from local and Brazilian representatives.

A Documentary Trailer and a Donation to a Rural School

On Sunday, September 27, at 11 a.m., Medellín production company Roca Films will present the trailer of the documentary Chapecó: El último sobreviviente, nace una hermandad (Chapecó: The Last Survivor, a Brotherhood Is Born) to the Brazilian delegation and the press. According to the consulate, the film reconstructs previously unpublished details of the tragedy and honors the survivors, in particular one of the club’s players, who will attend the screening. The film’s poster credits Edison Vanegas Álvarez as director. In November 2017, Noticias Caracol reported on a 42-minute documentary titled El último sobreviviente, directed by Edison Vanegas, then head of communications for the Policía Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá (Valle de Aburrá Metropolitan Police), about the rescue of Chapecoense defender Helio Zampier Neto.

Poster for the documentary Chapecó: El último sobreviviente, nace una hermandad, produced by Roca Films. (Image courtesy Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Medellín)

The final event takes place on Tuesday, September 29, when Colombian and international companies with ties to Brazil will donate a set of kitchen appliances to the Centro Educativo Rural La Almería (La Almería Rural Education Center), at its Pantalio campus, for use by its students, teachers and staff. According to the consulate, residents along the road leading to Cerro Chapecoense have decorated the route in the colors of the Brazilian flag.

Headline photo: The black marble monolith memorial to the victims of the 2016 LaMia crash, to be unveiled at Cerro Chapecoense in La Unión, Antioquia. (Image courtesy Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Medellín)

The governor of Colombia’s Caquetá department and the mayor of its capital, Florencia, put on gloves and headgear and boxed two rounds in front of a live crowd on September 12, 2026, in a charity exhibition organized to relaunch the region’s amateur boxing league. Governor Luis Francisco Ruiz Aguilar defeated Mayor Marlon Monsalve Ascanio when Monsalve could not continue one minute and 15 seconds into the second round.

The bout, billed as Guerra en la Selva (“War in the Jungle”), was held at the JR nightclub in Florencia and included six other amateur matches on the same card. Ruiz Aguilar, who took office in January 2024 as governor of Caquetá, wore yellow; Monsalve, mayor of the Florencia municipal government since the same date, wore burgundy. Neither official had trained as a boxer before the match, and both said afterward that the fight reflected cooperation between their administrations rather than any political rivalry.

The event doubled as a tribute to Genaro Granja Banguera, an 80-year-old boxing instructor known locally as “Chico Furia” who has trained fighters in Caquetá for more than six decades and is currently being treated for prostate cancer. Monsalve presented Granja with the city’s Medalla al Mérito Ciudad Florencia (Florencia City Medal of Merit) during the event, along with a pledge of home repairs and food assistance, according to Lente Regional.

Ruiz Aguilar posted a statement after the fight describing it as evidence of a working relationship between the departmental and municipal governments.

“More than a fight, this was a demonstration of the unity, brotherhood and teamwork that today binds our administrations together. We will keep working hand in hand for the well-being of everyone in Caquetá and Florencia.”

— Luis Francisco Ruiz Aguilar, governor of Caquetá

Monsalve, a lawyer and former university administrator whose 2023 election victory came without the backing of Caquetá’s traditional political machines, took the loss in stride. “The governor beat me, and he gave me the privilege of facing him. I think that next time, if I train, I can win,” he said, according to Semana.

Ruiz Aguilar, a physician and former mayor of Cartagena del Chairá, said he next intends to face Luis Trujillo Osorio, mayor of the neighboring municipality of San Vicente del Caguán, in a future exhibition bout, according to NTN24, though neither office has confirmed a date.

The card was organized by Wendy Paola Gutiérrez Cuesta of Agencia WG with backing from both governments, according to Infobae, which also collected reactions on Colombian social media that were largely critical of the spectacle, including one reader who called it “a bad example” and another who compared it unfavorably to how disputes get settled in Colombia’s Congress. Other commenters defended the officials, framing the bout as harmless local promotion, according to NTN24.

Caquetá, a department bordering Colombia’s Amazon region, was for decades one of the areas most affected by the armed conflict involving the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Its economy still depends heavily on cattle ranching, agriculture and public spending centered in Florencia, the departmental capital.

Photo from Facebook page of Governor Luis Francisco Ruiz Aguilar

Medellín will host the Horasis Global Summit for the first time in November, becoming the third Latin American city — and the first in Colombia — to hold the international conference since it launched in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in 2016. The meeting runs November 10-13, 2026, at Universidad de Medellín, with the bulk of panels, plenaries and keynote sessions concentrated on November 11 and 12.

A press release issued August 12, 2026, by Horasis, the Swiss group that organizes the summit, describes Medellín as Latin America’s second host city, after São Paulo. Horasis’ own published event history lists two prior Brazilian editions before Medellín: Vitória in 2024 and São Paulo in October 2025, the 10th edition of the summit and the largest to date, with roughly 1,000 speakers from 50 countries. Medellín’s edition, the 11th Global Summit, is the first held in a Spanish-speaking country in Latin America.

Organizers expect more than 700 international speakers from 40 countries across five continents, plus a comparable number of Colombian participants. Sessions will run in English, the standard format for Horasis meetings worldwide, and will cover economics, artificial intelligence, health, education, sustainability, technology, investment and international cooperation under this year’s theme, “Building Tomorrow.”

José Manuel Restrepo, who was sworn in as Colombia’s vice president on August 7, 2026, alongside President Abelardo de la Espriella, according to El Tiempo, is listed as guest of honor. Restrepo previously served as Colombia’s minister of commerce, industry and tourism and later as finance minister under former President Iván Duque, and has served as rector of three Colombian higher-education institutions — CESA business school, Universidad del Rosario and Universidad EIA — according to Noticias RCN. He is scheduled to speak at the summit’s grand opening alongside Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez and Horasis chairman Frank-Jürgen Richter.

Richter, who founded Horasis after serving as a director of the World Economic Forum, said the choice of Medellín reflects the city’s transformation. “Holding the Horasis Global Meeting in Medellín represents much more than choosing a venue; it means recognizing a city that has shown that transformation is possible when leadership, innovation, academia and cooperation converge,” Richter said. “Medellín will inspire the world, and at the same time, the world will find in Medellín a space to build shared solutions for the future.”

Dr. Frank-Jürgen Richter is the founder and chairman of Horasis – The Global Visions Community.

Ana María Pineda de Béglé, Horasis’ director for Latin America, is leading the event’s organization. “It’s a unique opportunity for Medellín, Antioquia and Colombia to meet with opinion leaders from around the world, exchange perspectives with them, and form alliances that could extend across Latin America and other continents,” she said.

The summit carries the backing of the Alcaldía de Medellín (Medellín Mayor’s Office), the Cuerpo Consular de Medellín (Medellín Consular Corps), Comfama, the Greater Medellín Convention & Visitors Bureau, ACI Medellín, Fenalco Antioquia, Acopi Antioquia, Corporación Fenalco Solidario, ProColombia, Metro de Medellín and the city’s public and private universities, according to organizers. Horasis has also opened four sponsorship categories for companies and institutions seeking to participate as strategic partners.

The program lists more than a dozen confirmed co-chairs, including Bo Inge Andersson of Ivanhoe IV, Claude Béglé of Symbioswiss, Carlos Creus Moreira of WISeKey, Martín Burt of Fundación Paraguaya and former Zimbabwean minister Sekai Holland. A session titled “Building Colombia’s Global Economic Role,” scheduled for November 11, lists confirmed panelists including Federico Hoyos of Fundación Los 8 Valores, Loren Moss, publisher of Finance Colombia, Daniel Umaña of DUE Capital, Alvaro Soto-Holguin of Neotropico and Judith Vergara of Universidad EAFIT.

A separate session, “Building Medellín’s Innovation Economy,” chaired by Ruta N director Santiago Henao, is set to examine what has made the city’s innovation-district model — anchored by Ruta N since 2009 — distinctive, and what the city still needs in talent, capital or regulation to compete for high-growth companies.

Richter, in the press release, said he hopes the Medellín meeting becomes more than a one-time event. “Through Horasis, the success of Medellín’s social and economic transformation will spread even further, as entrepreneurs and academics from around the world come to share their ideas and solutions to put into practice here,” Richter said. “And hopefully Colombia will become the permanent home of Horasis’ global conference.”

Headline image: Delegates at a previous Horasis Global Summit. (Photo courtesy Horasis)

The Corosito area of Pereira was typical of many parts of the city: numerous piles of rubble where houses or apartments used to stand, and even more buildings with yellow tape around them — earmarked as unfit for habitation and listed for future demolition.

The local square had been converted into a makeshift, unofficial refugee camp, complete with medical assistance from overseas and local foundations. Angel was my local contact there. He himself was living under plastic after his own home, not 200 meters distant, disappeared in the earthquake, and he hobbled around on a knee injured during the disaster.

As I joined him distributing breakfast (coffee and cookies) around the local neighborhood, we came across an enormous pile of rubble with many people scrambling over the shattered concrete. Also perched atop the rubble were two pieces of heavy machinery, scraping away at the bricks and twisted metal. Who were these men working so dangerously in the holes the diggers created?

Police had been positioned across much of Pereira to prevent the looting of collapsed buildings, but that wasn’t the case here.

It turned out that this had recently been a six-story plastic bag factory equipped with five machines worth $20,000 USD each. Now unrecognizable, the machines were being dragged out one by one, worth only their scrap value.

The subject of insurance was raised; however, the answer was right in front of me. Young men were taking the risk of burrowing under the rubble, within inches of the huge digger buckets, simply to drag out the crushed machinery and as many plastic bags as they could find. This had been going on for hours and would continue long after I had handed over the coffee and cookies.

This is a barrio that will live long in the memory, and I look forward to taking up Angel’s invitation to return in a better moment. They are beautiful, disenfranchised people who represent the very best of Colombia.

“They are beautiful, disenfranchised people who represent the very best of Colombia.”

— Rupert Stebbings

All photographs below were taken by Rupert Stebbings in Pereira.

Headline photo: An excavator clears rubble as volunteers search the wreckage of the collapsed plastic bag factory in Pereira. (Photo: Rupert Stebbings / Finance Colombia)

The Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (UNGRD, National Disaster Risk Management Unit) reported at least 273 people dead, 3,824 injured and 377 missing as of August 13, 2026, three days after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck the department of Chocó near San José del Palmar, according to agency director David Santiago Tamayo. The quake and its aftershocks damaged infrastructure across Chocó, Risaralda, Caldas and Valle del Cauca, affecting roughly 40,750 families. Collective Mining Ltd. (NASDAQ: CNL) (TSX: CNL), whose Guayabales and San Antonio gold, silver, copper and tungsten exploration projects lie roughly 100 kilometers from the epicenter, said none of its personnel were injured and none of its assets were damaged.

Rather than limit its response to its own project sites, the company said it is directing humanitarian support toward Manizales, the Caldas department capital about 80 kilometers from its Supía, Caldas operations, where it already has partnerships with local organizations. Collective Mining said it has been coordinating directly with municipal authorities, local fire departments and business associations to determine where that support is needed most.

On technical matters, the company will work with the Alcaldía de Manizales (Mayor’s Office of Manizales). Its monetary and in-kind contributions will flow through four organizations already active in the recovery: the Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Colombia (National Business Association of Colombia, or ANDI), which is coordinating reconstruction planning in the hardest-hit areas; the Caldas chapter of the Cruz Roja Colombiana (Colombian Red Cross) and ProCaldas, a public-private development alliance, both focused on health infrastructure; and the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia), which is targeting local school infrastructure.

Collective Mining traces its roots to Continental Gold Inc., the company that developed Colombia’s Buriticá gold mine before Zijin Mining Group (HKEX: 2899) (SSE: 601899) bought it in an all-cash deal valued at $1.4 billion CAD in enterprise value, a transaction that closed in March 2020. The same management group — now led by Executive Chairman Ari Sussman and President Omar Ossma, who served as Continental Gold’s legal vice president — regrouped around Continental Gold’s old playbook, exploring for gold, silver, copper and tungsten at Guayabales and San Antonio, two adjacent Caldas properties inside a district that already hosts 10 permitted, operating mines. Guayabales’ Apollo system, a large gold-silver-copper-tungsten discovery, is the company’s primary exploration target; recent drilling there has centered on extending the high-grade Ramp Zone and testing a newly exposed oxidized zone to the north.

“In moments like this, a coordinated response is essential to effectively reach affected communities. The support of organizations such as Collective Mining strengthens our ability to address immediate needs and support the recovery efforts underway in Manizales,” said Darío Gómez, president of the board of the Cruz Roja Colombiana’s Caldas chapter. “We appreciate their commitment to working alongside local institutions and organizations as the situation continues to evolve.”

“The safety and wellbeing of our people and communities is our first priority. I have been on the ground in Colombia working directly with our team and local stakeholders to lead our response and understand where assistance is most needed,” said Ossma. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the earthquake. We are mobilizing support through organizations that are positioned to direct assistance where it can have the greatest impact. We will continue to support our employees, their families and the broader community as recovery efforts progress.”

Management, insiders, a strategic investor and family and friends of the founding team own 45.2% of Collective Mining’s outstanding shares, according to the company.

Headline photo: Manizales skyline (Pixabay)

Colombia’s earthquake death toll had reached at least 273, with 3,824 injured and 377 missing, according to an August 13, 2026, update from the country’s Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (National Disaster Risk Management Unit), three days after a magnitude-7.4 quake struck the department of Chocó near San José del Palmar. Samaritan’s Purse, a Boone, North Carolina-based disaster relief organization, dispatched a Boeing 767 cargo plane from Greensboro, North Carolina, before dawn Thursday carrying more than 48 tons of relief supplies for survivors.

The aircraft’s cargo included hygiene kits, solar lights and shelter materials, aimed at families left without safe housing. The earthquake destroyed thousands of homes and damaged tens of thousands more, according to the disaster risk management unit, which has recorded 12,584 homes destroyed and 74,873 damaged nationwide as of August 13, along with widespread damage to schools, health centers and roads. Samaritan’s Purse said its teams on the ground, working through local churches, would begin distributing the supplies to affected communities as quickly as possible.

The earthquake and its aftershocks caused significant damage in Pereira, Manizales, Cali and Quibdó, the capital of Chocó department. Search-and-rescue crews continue working through collapsed buildings as the Colombian government coordinates additional international assistance, and Samaritan’s Purse said the death and injury figures are expected to keep rising as the response continues.

“Although we don’t know the full extent of the destruction in Colombia yet, so many families are in need of immediate assistance,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse.

Samaritan’s Purse operates in more than 100 countries and says it provides aid to people affected by war, disaster, disease, poverty and famine. It already had a presence in Colombia before this week’s earthquake: in June 2026, the organization dispatched a team from its Colombia country office to respond to a separate pair of earthquakes in neighboring Venezuela. Those existing field offices, the organization said, will support distribution of the newly arrived supplies across the earthquake-affected region.

Headline photo: Samaritan’s Purse staff load pallets of relief supplies onto a cargo aircraft bound for Colombia. (Photo courtesy Samaritan’s Purse)

Goya Foods announced on August 13, 2026, that it has donated more than 200,000 pounds of food to communities in western Colombia struck by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake of August 10, routing the shipment through Global Empowerment Mission, the Doral, Florida-based disaster relief organization running distributions in the affected departments.

The donation totals five truckloads of Goya products and is being made through Goya Gives, the company’s philanthropic program. Global Empowerment Mission, known as GEM, is handling logistics and last-mile distribution. The announcement did not disclose a dollar value for the shipment, a staging point, or the specific municipalities that will receive it.

The earthquake hit at 7:34 a.m. on Monday, August 10, 2026, about three miles south of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, at a depth of 68 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey. The magnitude 7.4 quake was the strongest to hit the country in a decade, said Julio Fierro Morales, director general of the Servicio Geológico Colombiano (Colombian Geological Survey), according to CNN en Español.

The Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, or UNGRD) reported that as of 6:30 a.m. on Friday, August 14, the earthquake had killed 285 people, injured 3,975 and left 379 missing, as reported by El Colombiano. The agency counted 12,828 homes destroyed and 73,455 damaged, with 45,523 families — 102,263 people — affected across 15 departments and 426 municipalities. UNGRD had reported 140 collapsed buildings as of August 13. Cali, Pereira, Quibdó, Manizales and Armenia remain under red alert.

In Cali, in Valle del Cauca, the city government reported 104 deaths, 1,401 injuries and 115 people still missing as of 6 p.m. on August 13, along with 45 buildings fully collapsed, 46 partially collapsed and 1,142 structurally damaged, according to El País. Rescuers had pulled 88 people alive from the rubble in the city, and 8,236 tons of debris had been removed.

GEM began daily distributions across the affected departments on August 12, working with the Bogotá-based foundation Solidaridad por Colombia and the volunteer motorcycle group Motorrad Angels. The organization has divided its response into an immediate relief phase covering food, water, hygiene supplies, tents and bedding, and a later early-recovery phase. GEM previously operated in Colombia during the January 2024 wildfires, and its Latin America headquarters is in La Guaira, Venezuela.

“This donation gives GEM the ability to rapidly move essential resources directly into the hands of families impacted by the earthquakes in Colombia,” said Michael Capponi, founder and president of Global Empowerment Mission. “Our model is built around speed, efficiency and strong partnerships, ensuring aid arrives quickly and reaches the communities where it has the greatest impact.”

Peter Unanue of Goya Foods framed the donation in terms of the company’s 90-year history. “For 90 years, Goya has stood with communities in times of need,” he said. “We hope this donation provides nourishment and comfort to families as they recover and rebuild.”

The Colombia shipment follows a similar operation six weeks earlier. On June 29, 2026, Goya announced a donation of 100,000 pounds of food for Venezuela after back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck west of Caracas on June 24. That shipment also moved through GEM, distributed out of Goya’s warehouse in Miami.

Sovereign and corporate contributions have followed in Colombia. President Abelardo de la Espriella said on August 13 that the United Arab Emirates was donating $10 million USD for relief. The South American Football Confederation and the Colombian Football Federation announced a combined $1 million USD for reconstruction. The United States Department of State deployed two urban search-and-rescue teams to assist Colombian first responders on August 12, the agency said. Vice President José Manuel Restrepo has said multilateral institutions presented cooperation proposals totaling $1.3 billion USD.

De la Espriella has declared a state of economic, social and ecological emergency to speed reconstruction. The government declared a national disaster on the day of the quake, and the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (Financial Superintendency of Colombia) has since put draft relief rules for affected borrowers and insurance claimants out for public comment.

Goya Foods is a privately held, family-owned company founded in 1936 and headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It describes itself as the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States. Its Goya Gives program works with food banks, churches, shelters, schools and cultural institutions, and has directed food shipments to disasters in the US and abroad.

Goya products at a company warehouse. (Photo courtesy Goya Foods)

The alliance’s first flight departed Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12, bound for Quibdó, the capital of Chocó department, one of the areas affected by the earthquake. The aircraft carried medicine and medical supplies donated by Búsqueda y Rescate Aeronáutico de Colombia (BRAC, Aeronautical Search and Rescue of Colombia), a volunteer search-and-rescue organization based in Medellín, to support the emergency response in Chocó.

The companies assigned a Cessna Grand Caravan, a single-engine turboprop capable of carrying cargo and passengers, to the operation. According to the companies, the aircraft remains available to Colombia’s Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social (Ministry of Health and Social Protection) and to other government entities, multilateral organizations, and foundations that need to move medicine, medical supplies, or health personnel to affected areas, as needs are identified.

The companies said the arrangement was not conceived as a single flight. They agreed to keep the capacity available for further humanitarian operations as determined by the authorities and organizations coordinating the emergency response.

“We may have only one aircraft, but if it can make a small contribution to rescue and emergency response efforts, it is an honor for us to help.” — Rupert Stebbings, CEO, Alma Air

Three companies, one response

The alliance combines three private-sector companies with different roles — an airline, an air-ambulance operator, and a fuel and energy distributor — each contributing a specific capability toward moving aid to affected areas more quickly.

Alma Air, a certified Colombian airline, said it offered its aircraft the same Monday the earthquake struck, while company representatives were in meetings with Aeronáutica Civil (Aerocivil, Colombia’s civil aviation authority) and the Ministerio de Transporte (Ministry of Transport).

“The same Monday morning the earthquake happened, Alma Air was in meetings with both Aerocivil and the Ministry of Transport, and the need to help was evident. We immediately offered our support to the Ministry. We may have only one aircraft, but if it can make a small contribution to rescue and emergency response efforts, it is an honor for us to help,” said Rupert Stebbings, CEO of Alma Air.

Ambulancias Aéreas de Colombia, which operates air-ambulance services, joined the alliance citing its experience operating in territories that are difficult to reach by other means.

“As a leading company in the air-ambulance sector in Colombia, we have a social commitment to the country, and our purpose is to save lives in a timely manner where others cannot. This has motivated us to organize humanitarian alliances aimed at helping the communities most affected, drawing on our experience in the health and aviation sectors. The most difficult moments are when Colombia most needs to stay united,” said Sebastián Pérez, co-CEO of Grupo Ambulancias Aéreas de Colombia.

Terpel joined the alliance under what it describes as its “Aliado País” (“Country Ally”) initiative, which the company has used previously to support relief efforts in Colombia during emergencies.

“At Terpel, we believe that difficult moments are when we should be closest to communities. As a country ally, we connect with the most pressing needs of those facing complex situations, and we act with solidarity and commitment. That is why we are making all of our capabilities, resources, and efforts available to provide support where it is needed most, convinced that when we join forces we can help thousands of people move forward,” said Daniel Perea, Terpel’s vice president of corporate affairs.

BRAC: support for the first flight to Quibdó

Búsqueda y Rescate Aeronáutico de Colombia (BRAC) also supported the first humanitarian flight from Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport, donating the medicine and supplies that were loaded onto the aircraft ahead of its departure Wednesday.

The earthquake struck a region where geography has long limited timely access to complex health services. Chocó is among the Colombian departments with the least availability of specialized medical personnel. Dense jungle, rivers that serve as a primary means of transportation, and the absence of a permanent road network leave numerous communities hours away from specialized services under normal conditions. During a large-scale emergency, when demand for medicine, equipment, specialized personnel, and transport capacity rises simultaneously, that distance becomes a larger factor in patient outcomes.

A national mobilization after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake

The earthquake struck western Colombia at 7:34 a.m. on Monday, August 10, with a moment magnitude of 7.4 and an epicenter near San José del Palmar, Chocó, according to Colombia’s Servicio Geológico Colombiano (Colombian Geological Survey), as Finance Colombia reported at the time. As of 7:30 a.m. on August 12, the Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (UNGRD, National Disaster Risk Management Unit) reported 239 deaths, 3,755 injuries, and 287 people missing. The agency said the emergency has affected 403 municipalities across 14 departments, with roughly 49,200 people affected across about 24,300 families, and reported 9,215 homes destroyed, 45,457 damaged, and 140 buildings collapsed, according to figures reported by El Colombiano. Authorities continue to update the toll as search, rescue, and recovery operations continue.

In this context, the capacity to move medicine, supplies, equipment, and personnel quickly to affected territories is a significant component of the broader response. The alliance among Alma Air, Ambulancias Aéreas de Colombia, and Terpel adds private air-transport capacity to that response, as other companies and organizations continue directing resources toward the areas affected by the earthquake.

No fee attached — three companies moved medicine into Chocó just over 48 hours after the quake.

Not the next quarter. Not the next election cycle. Not the next sustainability report. The future.

The kind of future where a young woman escaping violence can access dignified work. Where communities in remote regions can shape their own development. Where social mobility is not an exception but a possibility. Where prosperity is shared, not concentrated.

“My greatest motivation to lead the work at One is to witness value-generating projects whose results are sustainable over time and drive new initiatives” – Monica Gil Ryan

Throughout my career, I have worked at the intersection of public policy, private sector leadership, and social transformation. Those experiences taught me that lasting change does not happen by accident. It requires intention, resources, patience, and above all, trust.

That conviction is what led us at One Inversión Social to rethink a fundamental question: how can capital become a force for transformation?

At One, we believe social investment is not charity. It is one of the most strategic investments a society can make. We connect philanthropists, families, companies, and foundations with initiatives capable of generating measurable, sustainable, and systemic impact. Our work is based on a simple premise: resources create greater value when they are deployed with rigor, purpose, and a long-term vision.

Yet despite growing conversations around ESG, sustainability, and corporate citizenship, many important questions remain unanswered.

Why do we continue to finance short-term solutions for long-term problems? Why do we expect communities facing generations of exclusion to demonstrate transformational outcomes in six or twelve months? Why do we still measure social progress primarily through outputs rather than through lasting changes in people’s lives? And perhaps most importantly: Why do we trust financial markets to think in decades but expect social transformation to happen overnight?

One of the most common mistakes in philanthropy is impatience. We want immediate indicators. We want certainty. We want guarantees. But social change does not operate according to quarterly reporting cycles.

The most meaningful transformations often begin with something difficult to quantify: trust. Trust between organizations and communities. Trust between funders and local leaders. Trust that allows experimentation, learning, adaptation, and growth.

My two experiences at Harvard Business School reinforced the importance of technical rigor, evidence-based decision-making, policy design, and measurement. These tools matter deeply. Data matters. Evaluation matters.

But the field taught me something equally important. No framework, however sophisticated, can replace listening.

The leaders who understand the challenges of a territory are often the people who live there every day. Community organizations, grassroots leaders, local entrepreneurs, and social innovators frequently possess knowledge that no external consultant can replicate.

The role of philanthropy is not to arrive with all the answers. Its role is to identify those already creating solutions, provide them with patient and flexible capital, and help them scale what is already working.

This is where the private sector has an extraordinary opportunity.

For decades, many companies approached social responsibility as an activity adjacent to business. A donation here. A project there. A photograph for the annual report. That model is no longer enough.

The companies shaping the future are integrating social impact into their core operations. They are strengthening local supply chains, diversifying procurement, investing in talent development, supporting entrepreneurship, and using their operational capabilities to address challenges within their ecosystems.

The question is no longer whether companies should contribute to social transformation. The question is how intentionally they are doing it.

Because every allocation of capital is ultimately a statement about the future we want to build. Every investment reflects a belief. Every philanthropic decision reveals a priority. Every partnership sends a signal about whose voices matter and whose solutions deserve support.

So I return to the question. Who is financing the future?

Governments cannot do it alone. Communities should not have to do it alone. And philanthropy, while powerful, will never be enough if it remains disconnected from the broader economic system.

The future will be financed by those willing to think beyond immediate returns. By leaders who understand that prosperity and social cohesion are inseparable. By companies that recognize impact as a strategic asset. By philanthropists who combine the discipline of analysis with the humility of listening.

Most importantly, it will be financed by those who understand that social transformation is not an expense. It is an investment.

The challenge before us is not whether resources exist. The challenge is whether we have the courage, the patience, and the vision to direct them where they matter most.

Because the future is already being financed. The real question is: are we investing in the right one?

If this conversation resonates with you, I’d love to continue it. Let’s rethink together how philanthropy, business, and long-term social investment can help finance the future we all want to build.

Follow the conversation:
LinkedIn: Mónica Gil Ryan (linkedin.com/in/monica-gil-coca-5bb08143)
Instagram: @monicagilryan

The company is partnering with the Guamal Afro-Colombian Community Council, the Gobernación de Caldas (Governor’s Office of Caldas), CorpoCaldas — the regional environmental authority — and the Alcaldía de Supía (Municipality of Supía) to develop the project. Once built, the installation is expected to deliver approximately 600 kilowatts peak (kWp) of solar generation capacity, benefiting about 2,000 residents across 420 households.

Carlos Andres Moreno, President of the Guamal Afro-Colombian Community Council, said the project gives the community a stake in its own development. “This project represents an important development opportunity for our community and has the potential to make a meaningful difference for our families and future generations. We are proud that Guamal is participating in this initiative, which demonstrates what can be achieved when communities, public institutions and the private sector work together. We believe it can create new opportunities and contribute to a stronger future for our community,” Moreno said.

Omar Ossma, President of Collective Mining, said the community’s organization made it a strong partner for the initiative. “The Guamal community has a strong cultural identity, a well-organized structure and a clear vision for its future. Collective is committed to working alongside communities and institutional partners on practical initiatives that support regional development and create meaningful social, economic and environmental benefits. Building trusted relationships through meaningful participation and collaboration remains central to the Company’s approach in the regions where it operates,” Ossma said.

“This project represents an important development opportunity for our community and has the potential to make a meaningful difference for our families and future generations.” — Carlos Andres Moreno, President, Guamal Afro-Colombian Community Council

Once completed, the project is expected to:

• Provide the community with access to a reliable source of locally-generated renewable energy;
• Reduce household electricity costs and generate revenue from the sale of surplus energy;
• Support local employment and skills development;
• Strengthen community participation in energy planning and management; and
• Reduce emissions associated with conventional electricity generation.

Collective Mining describes the initiative as among the first community energy projects of its kind in Caldas, and says it could serve as a model for connecting other communities to renewable energy solutions.

The solar project adds to Collective Mining’s broader community engagement in Caldas, where the company holds exploration rights to the Guayabales and San Antonio projects near the municipalities of Supía and Marmato. The company has previously published sustainability and ESG reporting tied to its Colombian operations, and Ossma discussed the company’s community strategy in a previous interview with Finance Colombia.

Collective Mining was founded by the team that developed and sold Continental Gold Inc. to Zijin Mining for approximately $1.4 billion USD in enterprise value. The company explores for gold, silver, copper and tungsten in Caldas, where its two projects sit within an established mining camp alongside ten permitted and operating mines. Its flagship project, Guayabales, is anchored by the Apollo system, a bulk-tonnage gold-silver-copper-tungsten deposit where the company continues to expand the high-grade Ramp Zone and test new targets across the property.

Above photo courtesy EPM (Tepuy Solar Park)