On August 10, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó. In a matter of seconds, homes, schools, health infrastructure and entire communities were affected.

According to official figures released on August 25 by Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), the earthquake had affected 361,353 people across 16 departments and 494 municipalities. The toll included 331 people dead, 4,439 injured and 240 still missing. More than 178,000 homes had been damaged, over 31,000 destroyed, and 603 buildings had collapsed.

An earthquake is indiscriminate when it strikes. Its consequences are not. Where the earth shakes matters. Because when a disaster hits a territory that has spent decades carrying the weight of poverty, weak infrastructure, geographic isolation, armed conflict and institutional neglect, the emergency does not begin with the earthquake. The earthquake simply finds an old wound.

According to Colombia’s National Administrative Department of Statistics, or DANE, Chocó remains the department with the highest rate of monetary poverty in the country: 65.3% of its population lived in monetary poverty in 2025. That means nearly two out of every three people. So when we speak about the earthquake in Chocó, we cannot speak only about collapsed homes. We also have to speak about what was already fragile before the first wall fell.

And what happens after the cameras leave? Because Colombia knows how to mobilize in the first days of a tragedy. We donate. We share links. We organize collections. We send messages. For a brief moment, a place that has often been invisible occupies the center of our attention. And then, inevitably, something else happens. Another headline. Another crisis. Another trending topic. The emergency disappears from our screens long before it disappears from people’s lives.

That is where I believe philanthropy has a responsibility that goes beyond generosity. Its role is not simply to respond when tragedy becomes visible. It is also to ask what happens when it is no longer visible.

“The emergency disappears from our screens long before it disappears from people’s lives.”

— Mónica Gil Ryan

At ONE Social Investment, we have been thinking deeply about that question in the aftermath of the earthquake. Together with Sankofa Danzafro, La Pascasia, Presentes Corporación and a community of artists, cultural leaders and citizens, we created Una Noche por Chocó (A Night for Chocó).

The idea was simple: bring people together and turn attention into action. And people responded. Through this collective effort, $192,462,609 COP were raised, alongside a logistics operation that supported 66 flight segments, representing 40.4 hours of flight, the transportation of around 20 tons of humanitarian aid, and the movement of more than 150 people from medical and humanitarian teams.

These numbers matter because they represent something very concrete: people, supplies and resources reaching where they were needed. They also show what can happen when philanthropy is understood not only as giving money, but as connecting people, capabilities and resources around a common purpose.

Art played an important part in that. More than 30 artists donated their work. People bought tickets, acquired artwork, donated and brought their networks into the conversation. Read more about Una Noche por Chocó and see what this collective effort made possible, including the results and moments from the event.

Art does not rebuild a house by itself. Neither does a concert. But art can do something that philanthropy sometimes forgets: it can keep us emotionally connected to people whose reality is not our own. That connection matters because emergencies compete for our attention.

The first days after a disaster bring headlines, images and an understandable wave of solidarity. But rebuilding does not happen at the speed of the news cycle. The families affected by the earthquake will still need support when Chocó is no longer on the front page. They will still be rebuilding homes, recovering livelihoods and navigating the consequences of losing what they had.

And that is exactly where we are now. The emergency is not over. The immediate response is giving way to something harder and slower: reconstruction. This is the moment when solidarity is tested in a different way. Not by how quickly we can react, but by whether we are willing to stay involved when the urgency becomes less visible.

At ONE, we are continuing to support the response through different efforts and partnerships, because the work ahead is bigger than any one organization. It requires companies, foundations, artists, communities, donors and citizens willing to contribute what they can: capital, logistics, knowledge, visibility, relationships or simply attention.

That solidarity is also crossing borders. On September 26, Colombians and friends of Colombia in Dublin came together at River Bar for Cuando Pase el Temblor (When the Tremor Passes), a fundraising event supporting the recovery of communities affected by the earthquake in Chocó. The afternoon brought together coffee tasting, bingo with €700 EUR in prizes, salsa, dance and music, creating a space to come together while raising resources for Colombia. Each €15 EUR ($17 USD) ticket was a donation. Thank you to everyone in Dublin who organized, attended and gave, and who turned an afternoon an ocean away into real support for Chocó.

The work continues, and so does the need. To support ONE Social Investment’s ongoing response in Chocó, you can make a contribution of any amount through our international donation page, or find ways to give from Colombia on ONE’s campaign page.

Because solidarity should not have an expiration date. The earthquake lasted seconds. Rebuilding will take much longer. The question is whether Chocó will have to do it alone.

If you believe the answer should be no, keep being part of it. Share the campaign. Bring your company or organization into the effort. Connect us with people who can help. Or simply keep talking about Chocó when it is no longer the headline. The emergency is still alive. And so should be our solidarity.

Follow the conversation:
LinkedIn: Mónica Gil Ryan
Instagram: @monicagilryan

Headline photo: Mónica Gil Ryan (third from left), founder and CEO of ONE Social Investment, with volunteers and donated supplies before a humanitarian flight for earthquake-affected communities. (Photo courtesy ONE Social Investment)

Collective Mining Ltd. (NYSE American: CNL; TSX: CNL) reported zero lost-time injuries among its direct employees and no environmental non-compliance during 2025, while investing approximately $1.45 million in community programs across its exploration projects in Caldas, Colombia.

The company released its 2025 Sustainability Report on July 22, 2026, covering its environmental, social and safety performance as Collective expanded exploration at the Guayabales and San Antonio projects. During the year, the company completed 62,500 meters of exploration drilling, its largest annual drilling campaign to date.

“The outcomes outlined in our latest sustainability report reflect the company we are building: technically ambitious, locally rooted and disciplined in how we grow.” – Omar Ossma, President, Collective Mining

Improving safety and local employment

Collective reported zero Lost Time Injuries among direct employees during 2025 and a Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) of 0%. The company also reported zero instances of environmental non-compliance during the year.

Direct employment increased 38% year-over-year as the company expanded its exploration, engineering and social activities. Employees from Caldas represented 81% of the company’s direct workforce at year-end, while women accounted for 35% of direct employment.

The results come as Collective continues to expand exploration around the Apollo system, the centerpiece of its Guayabales Project.

$1.45 million directed toward communities

Collective invested approximately $1.45 million in social programs during 2025. The company said 57.5% of the funding came directly from Collective, while strategic partners contributed the remaining 42.5%.

The programs reached 18,880 beneficiaries across 1,745 families and strengthened the capabilities of 237 community leaders.

The initiatives operate under Collective’s “The Collective Way” framework, which emphasizes long-term partnerships in areas including water access and sanitation, infrastructure, education, agricultural development, technical training and community capacity building.

The company’s community strategy is particularly relevant to its operations in Caldas, where Collective’s exploration activities are located alongside established mining operations.

Exploration expands in 2026

Collective has continued its aggressive exploration campaign into 2026. The company reported in June that it had completed more than 184,000 meters of diamond drilling across the Guayabales and San Antonio projects, including 120,000 meters at Apollo.

The Apollo system has produced further exploration results during the year. On June 29, Collective reported a newly identified tungsten-enriched high-grade subzone approximately 300 meters below surface. Drill hole APC-162 intersected 27.35 meters grading 37.55 grams per tonne gold equivalent, including 1.68% tungsten oxide, 11.62 grams per tonne gold, 54 grams per tonne silver and 0.43% copper.

Collective said in July that it had also secured additional mining titles from Colombia’s National Mining Agency following public hearings in Supía and Marmato. The company said the new titles materially expanded its titled land position and created additional drill-ready targets within and adjacent to the Guayabales project area.

As of March 31, 2026, Collective reported $113.3 million in cash and said it was fully funded for its 2026 exploration program, which calls for up to 100,000 meters of drilling. The company had 13 diamond drill rigs operating across Guayabales.

Management and the path toward development

Ned Jalil became Collective’s chief executive officer in April 2025, while Omar Ossma remained president. Finance Colombia previously reported that the appointment brought a mining executive with more than 25 years of international experience into the company’s leadership as Collective considered the longer-term development potential of Guayabales.

Ossma said the sustainability results reflect the company’s approach as it advances both Guayabales and San Antonio.

“As we advance the Guayabales and San Antonio projects, we remain focused on deepening local partnerships, managing our environmental responsibilities and ensuring that the value created through discovery is inclusive and long-lasting,” Ossma said.

Collective was founded by members of the team that developed and sold Continental Gold Inc. to Zijin Mining Group for approximately $2 billion in enterprise value. The company is exploring for gold, silver, copper and tungsten in Caldas, where Guayabales and San Antonio form the core of its Colombian portfolio.

The company’s flagship Guayabales Project is anchored by the Apollo system, which Collective describes as a bulk-tonnage, high-grade gold-silver-copper-tungsten system. Current exploration priorities include expanding the Ramp Zone, testing the Northern Apollo Oxidized area, drilling the northwestern extension of the Trap target and pursuing additional greenfield targets.

Collective’s 2025 Sustainability Report provides the company’s latest formal account of its safety, environmental and community performance as it moves into a larger 2026 exploration program.

Headline photo : A mural showing artisanal mining in Supía Colombia, where Collective Mining has participated funding of municipal improvement projects.. (Photo by Finance Colombia)

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 History Channel is scheduled to premiere a new documentary titled Parceros on April 29, 2026. The 43-minute production, developed in collaboration with the Alcaldía de Medellín, examines the social challenges facing youth in the city’s communes and the state-led initiatives designed to mitigate the influence of criminal structures.

The documentary focuses on the Parceros program, an initiative managed by the Secretaría de Seguridad y Convivencia of Medellín. The program provides psychosocial support, academic training, and employment pathways for children, adolescents, and young adults at risk of recruitment by organized crime. According to municipal data, approximately 350 criminal groups operate within Medellín, involving an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 individuals. The program has served over 9,000 participants between 2024 and 2025, with a target of reaching 15,000 individuals by the end of the current four-year term.

“When the public sector works hand in hand with social organizations and media with global reach, the impact is multiplied.” — Federico Gutiérrez, Mayor of Medellín.

Federico Gutiérrez, the Mayor of Medellín, stated that the partnership with international media outlets aims to increase the visibility of the city’s social transformation. He noted that the collaboration between the public sector and global organizations facilitates a broader impact for regional infrastructure and social programs. The documentary features Argentine actor and producer Michel Brown, who serves as the primary narrator and interacts with participants to document their transition from informal or illegal activities toward stable employment and entrepreneurship.

The production follows the individual trajectories of three participants: Marcela, Alejandro, and Juan Sebastian. These accounts detail the transition from situations involving homelessness, illegal activities, and exploitation toward roles in municipal security management, private business ownership, and the local tourism sector. Paulina Patiño, director of the Parceros program, indicated that the initiative focuses on building human capital and providing alternatives to the economic incentives offered by local criminal organizations.

Produced by A+E Networks (NYSE: DIS) in association with Loso Producciones and co-produced by Lulo Films, the project reflects a trend of utilizing high-production-value media to document ESG-related social investments in Latin America. Cesar Sabroso, Senior VP of Marketing at A+E Networks Latin America, emphasized the company’s objective to distribute these narratives across the region to highlight successful intervention models.

Medellín continues to be a focal point for international observers due to its ongoing social transformation and its status as a hub for the global creative economy. The documentary intends to provide a technical look at how targeted social spending and public-private partnerships can alter the demographic trajectory of urban centers in Colombia and the broader US interest area.

Headline photo of Medellín’s Comuna 13 (photo © Loren Moss)