Colombia honors Education Above All for education protection work

By AI, Created 11:43 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Colombia’s Congress awarded Education Above All Foundation the Simón Bolívar Order of Democracy – Grand Cross on May 6, 2026, recognizing its work to protect education from attack and expand access for vulnerable children. The honor comes as Colombia weighs new accountability measures and continues to face deep gaps in school access and safety.

Why it matters: - Colombia is still dealing with the long-term impact of attacks on schools, teachers and students. - More than 250,000 children have been affected by attacks on education in Colombia since the 2016 Peace Agreement. - Education Above All’s work targets both school protection and enrollment, two pressures that can keep children out of class. - The recognition highlights how education aid and legal accountability can reinforce each other in conflict-affected settings.

What happened: - The Congress of the Republic of Colombia awarded Education Above All Foundation the Simón Bolívar Order of Democracy – Grand Cross, one of the country’s highest honors. - The ceremony took place on May 6, 2026, during an official mission in Colombia. - The award recognized the foundation’s support for protecting education from attack and expanding access for vulnerable children. - Field visits followed the ceremony to education programs serving children who are out of school or at risk of dropping out.

The details: - Over the past two years, the foundation’s Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict program has provided technical support to national stakeholders on attacks on education and accountability. - That work included collaboration with Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace. - The foundation also contributed to a proposed draft law aimed at strengthening accountability for attacks on education, including the recruitment of children and attacks on teachers and schools. - The draft legislation is now under consideration in Congress. - The legislation is intended to help address the long-term impact of attacks on education and better protect children, teachers and schools. - The foundation’s work in Colombia also includes its Educate A Child program. - In partnership with Fundación Pies Descalzos, the foundation has supported access to quality primary education for marginalized children. - Those efforts have helped enroll more than 42,400 out-of-school children. - An additional 26,700 at-risk children have been supported to stay in school. - A second phase aims to reach 42,320 out-of-school children and retain 32,160 at-risk students. - The next phase will focus on Barranquilla, Cartagena, Medellín, Chocó and border regions affected by migration. - The approach is designed to improve identification, enrollment and retention inside local education systems.

Between the lines: - Colombia’s recognition signals that education protection is now being treated as both a humanitarian issue and a justice issue. - The proposed law suggests policymakers are moving beyond response toward accountability for attacks on education. - The foundation’s dual focus on protection and access reflects the reality that children in fragile areas often face both violence and exclusion. - The award also underscores the role of local partnerships in reaching children in border territories and conflict-affected regions.

What’s next: - Congress will continue reviewing the proposed legislation on accountability for attacks on education. - The second phase of the education access project is expected to expand enrollment and retention in priority regions. - Continued coordination with Colombian institutions and local partners will shape whether these efforts scale into broader national policy. - Education Above All said Colombia’s experience offers lessons for other countries facing conflict and crisis impacts on schooling.

The bottom line: - Colombia is pairing symbolic recognition with policy and programmatic work aimed at making schools safer and keeping more children in class. - For more information, visit the organization’s website.