CALI, Colombia — What does it mean to see all people as protagonists in the development of their community—a seed whose capacities can be nurtured to bear fruit for generations?
This question animates Weaving Paths, a new documentary released by FUNDAEC to mark its 50th anniversary. The film traces the evolution of this Bahá’í-inspired organization, founded in Colombia in 1974, as it has worked alongside rural communities to develop educational processes that integrate the material and spiritual dimensions of life.
Rather than offering a chronological history, Weaving Paths reflects on the deeper processes that have sustained FUNDAEC’s work over time. It portrays how a conviction has been fostered among thousands of farmers, youth, teachers, mothers, and many others, that every human being possesses latent capacities that can be awakened and directed toward the common good.
“At FUNDAEC, we felt it was important to share, from our own perspective, some of the insights that have marked these fifty years,” said Leslie Stewart, Special Centers Director of FUNDAEC, in a conversation with the News Service.
“The film,” she added, “is not meant to be a comprehensive account, but a living reflection on experiences, collective efforts, and the gradual construction of patterns of community life rooted in dignity and purpose.”
The film highlights FUNDAEC’s roots in the Norte del Cauca region of Colombia, where a group of young professionals—scientists, educators, and agricultural engineers—came together with a vision of living and working alongside rural populations in their development.
Over five decades, this work has touched the lives of more than 300,000 young people through the Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (SAT, or Tutorial Learning System), as well as through initiatives such as the Preparation for Social Action (PSA) program.
The documentary illustrates how an educational approach inspired by principles such as the oneness of humanity, the inherent nobility of every person, and the harmony of science and religion has enabled communities to become protagonists of their own development.
Mrs. Stewart noted, “Development is not something brought from outside; it grows from within communities themselves.”
FUNDAEC’s executive director, Bita Correa, reflected on the cumulative nature of this work: “Over the past 50 years, three generations of people’s lives have been touched by FUNDAEC’s programs. The true impact is cumulative and deeply interwoven, where one program reinforces another, creating a profound effect that is beautiful to witness, though challenging to fully capture.”
Throughout the film, the perspectives of graduates, educators, and community members illustrate how this vision has translated into enduring patterns of learning and service. In rural regions where access to education was once limited, particularly for women and youth, FUNDAEC’s programs opened pathways that allowed individuals to remain rooted in their communities while gaining knowledge relevant to their lives.
The documentary also situates FUNDAEC’s work within wider social realities. During periods of political violence and displacement in Colombia, educational spaces created through its programs offered young people alternatives grounded in constructive action and cooperation. As the work expanded beyond Colombia, similar principles guided adaptation to diverse cultural and institutional contexts.
Alongside the release of the film, FUNDAEC also marked its anniversary with the publication of Weaving a Fabric of Unity: Conversations on Education and Development, a book which brings insights from five decades of grassroots experience into wider academic and professional conversations on education and development.
FUNDAEC hopes the film will serve as a bridge between past and future, inviting viewers to see education not as an abstract system, but as a shared endeavor through which individuals and communities gradually shape more hopeful possibilities for the generations to come.
The film is available to watch on YouTube.
