The School of Floriculture program offers training allowing needy people to earn an income and reclaim their dignity 

Colombian floriculture gave Alex an

opportunity after he was forcefully

displaced from his home

Colombian flower growers have offered job opportunities to 1,631 displaced people in a country seeking a new future. Bogotá, Monday, January 21st,, 2008. “In July of 2004, I was displaced by violence from my Department of Antioquia.  It is hard to leave behind everything built up over a lifetime, even more so when we are responsible for a family and without knowing what the future will bring.
I arrived at a cousin’s house in Madrid, Cundinamarca, in Colombia, with my family, who a few months before had gone through much the same experience.  Although he offered us help and support, the going was rough - he was just starting to get back on his feet himself".  “In the meantime, I began looking for a job, but lack of experience in the cultivation of flowers kept me from getting my foot in the door of the floriculture industry.  I worked a few days on the Bogotá savannah, others as a construction gopher and it was difficult because I was a day worker without a fixed income”.  “In November 2004, I heard my cousin speak for the first time about a program for vulnerable families, sponsored by the United States Cooperation Agency, USAID, the Colombian Educational Service, SENA and the Colombian Association of Flower Exporters, Asocolflores.  It all seemed like a bunch of pipe dreams and idle talk.  He told me that a group of people from SENA Human Resources visits the companies to take a people under their wings to help them learn and get trained in their field.  The tricky part was getting through the interview.  With nothing to lose, I showed up at the appointed hour and took a tough comprehension test.  They talked to me about the Floriculture School, what its function is, the commitments involved, responsibilities taken, benefits to be had and what we would have the right to”. “I’m now a floriculture worker in Colombia, the main supplier of fresh cut flowers to the United States, and one of the most important suppliers to Europe, Russia and Japan. I’m glad to be working in an industry that generates thousands of jobs and offers a positive image of Colombia, a country seeking a new future”.
Alex Monsalve, once a displaced person, is now a floriculture worker Alex was able to help his family get ahead in life despite being displaced, one of the most difficult situations one can live through as a human being.  And just like him, there are thousands of Colombians living in the countryside surrounding big cities such as Bogotá, Medellín, Pereira and Cali, people who have been able to give their children a future thanks to jobs in the flower industry, one of the agroindustrial sectors offering workers more guarantees.   The School of Floriculture program Asocolflores created the School of Floriculture program in 2003, to provide assistance to Colombian families who have been forcefully displaced from their homes and to people vulnerable to violence in the countryside. This initiative promotes the creation of jobs and allows participants to earn an income and reclaim their dignity. Beneficiaries begin their training process and, later on, join member companies as apprentices and receive a salary while they continue to train in flower production techniques. After one year, apprentices may choose to accept a permanent job in the company.    With an investment of US$ 1.8 million, the School of Floriculture has benefited more than 1,631 families to date. The program counts on financial and technical support from the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and financial resources from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Colombian Flower Industry Facts:

* Floriculture is the most important agricultural non-traditional export in Colombia.

* The flower industry is the largest source of employment for women in rural areas, at a rate of 25 percent.

* Women make up an estimated 60% of the floriculture workforce in the country.

* Approximately one million Colombians are employed by the floriculture industry.

* Colombia is the largest supplier of cut flowers sold in the United States, and second largest in the world.

* Exports to the U.S. market are almost $1 billion.

Current Social Programs

* Continued Education - Aimed at eradicating illiteracy among flower workers. More than 1,700 workers participated in literacy programs in 2004.

* Flowers are Home Program - Conducted in cooperation with subsidized housing programs and public-private partners to help workers purchase homes. This program has benefited more than 3,600 workers since its inception in 2002 - with more than 2,000 families who received a subsidy towards purchasing a home, and a goal of helping 20,000 families purchase homes in the next ten years.

* Childcare - Consisting of high-quality childcare centers on or near farms that provide daycare services for children while their parents work, more than 17,000 children benefited from this program in 2004. It is run jointly with the Columbian Institute for Family Welfare.

* Oral Health - Approximately 35,000 area children between the ages of 4 and 12 participated in this program which provides instruction on proper dental hygiene.

* School of Floriculture - Sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the school enables families displaced by violence in the countryside to find jobs, generate income and recover their dignity.

* Cultivating Peace in the Family - Also sponsored by USAID, Cultivating Peace is contributing to building peace and tackling violence in Columbia. The program teaches workers to manage conflict in peaceful ways in the family, work and community. Since 2000, approximately 25,000 workers and their families have received training and workshops.

Florverde®, Ten Years of Achievements

Beyond the recognition of the quality of Colombian flowers, the industry is also renowned for its commitment to having socially and environmentally sustainable production schemes. Last March, Colombian floriculture industry celebrated the tenth anniversary of Florverde®, the certified socio-environmental program with the participation of 167 flower farms. Colombia exports nearly 700 million of certified flower stems each year, which clearly demonstrates that the industry strongly believes in the welfare of workers and the environment protection.