• These resources shall reinforce and expand the coverage of all those initiatives that the Foundation spearheads and supports for extending the quality of education, encouraging cultural activities as well as instilling a sense of citizenship and building democracy.
• During 2019, the Foundation benefited more than 400 thousand people and 96 organizations in Colombia, through the implementation of 60 initiatives.
• The Foundation invested a total of COP 16,948 million in the country last year, thanks to contributions received from Grupo SURA and its subsidiaries Suramericana and SURA Asset Management.
• The SURA Foundation leads SURA's corporate volunteer program, whose Sumando Voluntades 2019 volunteer corps conference was the most attended simultaneous event of this type in Latin America.

This year the SURA Foundation has increased its social investment by 29% compared to 2019, for a total of COP 21,900 million, the highest in all its 49 years of dedication to social causes in Colombia. This is to be used to benefit more children, youngsters, families, teachers and communities living in vulnerable conditions, as well as social and cultural organizations who work to transform their environments and ensure a more equitable social development.

With more resources, the Foundation also plans to increase the positive impact it has always had and leverage the involvement of more and more public and private actors in the initiatives it spearheads, supports and assists, this in order to be able to enhance the quality of education, strengthen cultural initiatives and also contribute to a more democratic society with a greater sense of citizenship.

“This year we wish to expand the coverage of the Foundation's consolidated programs, so as to be able to reach more than 400 thousand people and 96 organizations that we have assisted and benefited in 2019, always with the firm conviction that education and culture are crucial factors in transforming lives and territories, and not only in Colombia, but taking these initiatives to other Latin American countries where SURA is present, ”stated Tatyana Orozco, Chief Corporate Affairs Officers for Grupo SURA.

Focus for 2020

This is why one of the Foundation’s priorities is to explore the possibility of incorporating more public and private partners in our Felix and Susana program, and in this way provide more skills to children, teachers and families for a healthier, more peaceful coexistence. This comes after benefiting a total 153 thousand schoolchildren in 2019 and training 3,812 educators from 311 public schools in Colombia -in 10 departments-, as well as in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

We also seek to expand the coverage of the Alliance for Rural Education in Antioquia (Alianza por la Educación Rural de Antioquia - ERA), of which the Foundation is a member along with 15 other organizations. Today, this model is allowing more than 13 thousand schoolchildren in the

southwestern part of this Department to pursue their high school education and access university without having to leave their homes.

The Foundation’s priorities in terms of promoting cultural activities are focused on extending the Explorando Patrimonios (Exploring our Heritage) program, in partnership with the National Museum of Colombia, to three more museums in Antioquia and Norte de Santander, which in 2019 made it possible for more than 1,143 underprivileged children and seniors in Bogotá, to visit  the Museum and for the Museum to visit their communities. Also, this year we shall be providing materials to people with visual disabilities so that they may enjoy this same experience.

Furthermore, we shall be drilling down on out training programs so as to be able to consolidate 39 organizations and 80 cultural leaders in the Urabá Antioqueño region, with the help of Comfama and Interactuar. At the same time, we intend to strengthen our collaborative efforts, transferring best practices and mentoring programs in a network of 36 cultural organizations that have partnered with the Foundation in 11 departments throughout Colombia, so that that they may provide each other with mutual support so as to have more positive impact on their environment and  be more sustainable.

"We also wish to move forward with our support in  strengthening democratic processes and building optimal social fabric. Over the last 12 months we have provided our support to a total of 24 organizations, think tanks and initiatives that have helped, for example, to improve activities in the public arena, as well as to encouraging the inclusion of ex-combatants and victims of conflict in the job market, in the same way as Alianza Soluciones does", added María Mercedes Barrera, Executive Director of the SURA Foundation.

Finally, and with regard to SURA's corporate volunteer program led by the Foundation, this year we intend to expand our coverage for a total of 140 activities and more than 30,963 hours of community work which shall benefit more than 30 thousand people in 14 departments of Colombia, in 2019.

Some of the highlights of our performance in 2019

• Quality of education: 224 thousand people were benefited in 18 departments; the Nicanor Restrepo Scholarship program selected 15 students to begin or continue higher education studies.
• Cultural Activities: 46,600 people and 36 organizations benefited throughout the country.
• Building democracy and instilling a sense of citizenship: we assisted Alianza Soluciones in helping 120 people to join the job market.
• Sumando Voluntades Volunteer Corps Day: on October 5, a total of 3,496 people (63% of whom were employees) dedicated the day to enhancing the infrastructure of a total of 35 schools in 26 cities in 10 countries.

The Foundation has invested more than COP 169 thousand million over the last 15 years.