In spring 2024, the winners of the golf tournament Esmeralda Charity Cup (ECC) travelled to Colombia. They were accompanied by two sponsors and Juan Alarcon, the former project director of the Limmat Foundation. In Cali, the first stage of the trip, the group visited several projects for children run by the Foundation Carvajal, which have been supported by the ECC in the past years. They were also able to go to a sugar factory, which is one of the most important sources of income in the region.

The second stop of the trip was in Medellín. Juan Alarcon showed the four people the Rural Innovation Centre “La Sandalia”, a training centre for young farmers. They spent a whole day there and were able to get an idea of the educational model. It is very similar to the dual training system, as it combines theory and practice. Besides, they were able to take part in one of the activities of the Iwoka program. The guests were very positively surprised by what the young people involved had to say. The last stop on the trip was in Cartagena de Indias on the Caribbean coast. They visited two projects supported by the Esmeralda Charity Cup: Aluna and Actuar por Bolívar. To finish this interesting trip, the group took part in a charity golf tournament organized by the ECC for the benefit of the project “Aluna”, which supports disabled children and youth.

Mr. Mark Keller, member of the winning team, was already able to travel to Colombia as a winner of the Esmeralda Charity Cup 13 years ago and sums up the following after this new opportunity: “It was impressive to see that even after such a long time, the projects are still working and the efforts of the Limmat Foundation, Esmeralda Charity, sponsors and donors are sustainable. This is actually the most important thing for me and will remain in my positive memory for a long time to come.”

If you are a golfer and would like to take part in the Esmeralda Charity Cup, you can register for the golf season 2024 on the Limmat Foundation’s website.