Escuela Laboratorio Verde Belén · In development
Build a future from Belén.
A vision to turn an existing school into an educational reference point: more capacity for those who live here and an experience distinctive enough to attract students, educators, allies and exchanges from elsewhere.
Belén de los Andaquíes · Caquetá · ColombiaUpdated · 14 Sep 2026
2,085young people aged 18–28 · 2023 baseline
6education institutions
44urban and rural education sites
43 kmapprox. to Florencia
The territorial challenge
Create opportunities so staying, returning or coming to Belén becomes a real option
Belén de los Andaquíes’ Youth Public Policy identifies limited opportunities as a factor associated with young people leaving and explicitly refers to a form of “brain drain” in search of greater opportunities. The project starts from that reality: the aim is not simply to offer activities, but to strengthen capacities and open educational pathways connected to new possibilities.
Youth and education figures come from Belén de los Andaquíes’ Youth Public Policy, which cites DANE 2019–2023 projections. Distance and territorial context come from CORPOAMAZONIA. They are published as contextual baseline information, not as project results.
Where it happens
Belén de los Andaquíes: Andean-Amazonian foothills
Belén is located in southwestern Caquetá, in a transition zone between the Eastern Andes and the Amazon. CORPOAMAZONIA highlights its biodiversity, water resources, landscapes and potential for tourism and research activities.
That natural setting, together with community life, local food and hospitality, is part of the vision for an educational experience that goes beyond the classroom.
Caquetá · ColombiaAndean-Amazonian transitionNatural environment as a learning resource
Municipal reference map. The marker shows Belén de los Andaquíes; the exact School location will be published once it is documentarily verified.
The vision
From a local space to an educational reference point
The ambition is to build an educational offer valuable enough to expand local opportunities and, progressively, attract people from outside Belén as well. Technical capacity, the natural environment, human talent and connections with other institutions could turn the School into a node for learning, creation and exchange.
Opportunities for local youth
Digital, creative, technical and environmental learning that strengthens capacities without making every educational pathway depend on leaving the territory.
Attract students and educators
Workshops, short residencies and learning experiences that invite people to learn in Belén and understand its human and natural context.
National and international exchange
A future pathway — subject to partnerships and funding — to connect the School with other educational institutions, labs and learning networks.
The territory as a classroom
Nature, local culture, food, hospitality and community knowledge as part of a place-based learning experience.
Built in phases
An ambitious vision, developed step by step
The project does not present future capacities as if they already existed. The School is conceived in phases so that each increase in ambition can be supported by funding, people, partnerships and evidence.
- 01
Activate the space
Basic improvements, connectivity, furniture, safety and initial equipment.
- 02
Launch learning activities
First workshops and pilots in digital skills, audiovisual production, languages, creativity and environmental learning.
- 03
Consolidate technical capacity
Editing stations, audiovisual production, sound and other specialized capacities based on technical assessment.
- 04
Open Belén to exchange
Educational visits, guest educators, partnerships and exchange programs when sufficient partners and resources exist.
What a contribution can become
Concrete resources that build educational capacity
These categories illustrate the types of investment the project may require. Final purchases will depend on technical assessment, approved budgets, quotations, donor restrictions and implementation phase.
Computers and digital learning
Laptops or workstations, displays, connectivity and tools for digital literacy, learning and production.
Cameras and imaging
Cameras, lenses, tripods and lighting for documentation, community storytelling and audiovisual learning.
Sound and voice
Microphones, recorders, headphones and basic acoustic treatment for podcasting, voice, music and sound learning.
Editing and post-production
Editing equipment, storage, backups and software to turn raw material into educational content.
Learning-space improvements
Furniture, electrical upgrades, secure storage and, in future phases, acoustically treated spaces for recording or dubbing.
Exchange and learning experiences
Logistics, materials, transport and short stays for visiting educators, students or collaborators when formal agreements exist.
Would you like to help build this capacity?
Fundación Katari will document allocations and publish evidence as resources, purchases and verifiable activities become available.
More than equipment
The distinctive value is the combination of technology, people and place
The vision is not to turn the School into an inventory of devices. Its value lies in combining technical resources with human support, community, nature and a local identity capable of offering a different educational experience.
- Local human talent and visiting mentors.
- Learning connected to local problems and opportunities.
- Nature-based and environmental learning experiences.
- Local food and hospitality as part of visits and exchanges.
- Content production that helps tell Belén’s story from Belén.
What we want to measure
From access to learning toward opportunities that can last
The project does not yet attribute population-retention results. Measurement will be designed to observe verifiable changes and learn whether the School is actually expanding the options available to young people and the community.
Enrollment, attendance, retention and completion of activities.
Skills gained, products created and learning progression.
Continued education, technical/higher education, employment, entrepreneurship or local projects.
Intent to stay, return or build opportunities from Belén, complemented by follow-up when feasible.
External participants, guest educators, partnerships and exchange experiences actually delivered.
Records, testimonies, outputs, outcomes and lessons published with sufficient support.
Reducing the outflow of young people will be treated as a long-term objective to study, not as a result promised in advance.
Public sources and traceability
Territorial context is documented with external sources
Fundación Katari distinguishes between public territorial data, project vision and its own results. The following sources support the contextual information published on this page.
Youth Public PolicyBelén de los Andaquíes · youth projections and educational offer.DANE · 2018 CensusOfficial Caquetá profile and municipality 18094.CORPOAMAZONIAGeographic context, biodiversity, water and Andean-Amazonian transition.MinViviendaOfficial geographic reference for the municipality.UNADPublic precedent of technology-mediated learning with young people in Belén.
Build from evidence
Support a vision that aims to grow without losing rigor
The School will be developed in phases. Fundación Katari will publish new information when budgets, purchases, activities, partnerships or results are verifiable.