18/11/2023

Second stage of the Safe School Path project

The Josefa Donado Educational Institution is located in Soledad, Atlántico (Colombia); specifically on the Isla Cábica near the Impala Barranquilla Cofiba Shipyard. On a daily basis, children and adolescents on their way to and from school share the road with large vehicles that travel to the shipyard, placing them in a situation of extreme vulnerability. This is a population located near the entrance to the Magdalena River, with socioeconomic characteristics of vulnerability and far from the supply of urban services. 

For this reason, led by the Fundación Gonzalo Rodróguez, and with the support of Impala Terminals Colombia and the National Road Safety Agency, the "Safe School Path" project was created. The project seeks, through cooperation and support to the community, to work for the reduction of risk factors associated to road accidents among children and adolescents of the Josefa Donado Educational Center, Cabica - Soledad Municipality, taking as a starting point the children's trips to and from school, from the perspective of safe systems focused on boys and girls. The project also has as strategic objectives to identify the risk factors associated with the safe mobility of children and adolescents traveling to and from school, in order to carry out the necessary actions to reduce or eliminate them; to involve the educational community and the community in the care of their children and adolescents on the roads; to internalize safe behaviors in children and adolescents when they are on the roads, on their way to and from school; and to promote networking, articulated with different public and private actors to promote progress. 

In this second technical work mission where it is planned to reinforce the activities with the community and follow up on the design of the safe school path, deepening the positive changes associated with the practical workshops and recognition of the importance of road safety. Therefore, as part of this second phase of the project, 28 leaders of the Cabica Island community were trained in safe school paths and promotion of child safety in the rural environment.

At the same time, thanks to the encouragement of the participatory community process, a safe route with meeting points was established to protect the lives of children and adolescents on their way to and from school.

Finally, representatives of the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, the Colombian National Road Safety Agency and Impala Terminal participated in the installation of the School Mobility Committee of the Josefa Donado School. There, representatives of the school and its two urban and rural sites initiated the process of the school mobility plan, a participatory planning tool to reduce risks in school environments, promote road safety and prevent road accidents.