A. M. 
Fundación Poma commemorated 40 years of work and social impact in El Salvador. Throughout its trajectory, the organization has promoted effective programs in the areas of health, education and culture, and has had active participation and leadership in other recognized institutions.
“Our predecessors, especially my father Luis Poma, were characterized by their vision, by their talent to create innovative projects not only from a business point of view, but also from a social point of view. They instilled in our family the conviction that, as entrepreneurs, our purpose goes beyond business and must incorporate social development as a fundamental axis”, said the president of the Foundation, Ricardo Poma.
Throughout its history, the organization and its programs have evolved to meet the country’s needs in a timely manner, said the businessman. In the 1980s, for example, the Poma family joined in the creation of the Fundación Salvadoreña para la Salud y el Desarrollo Humano (FUSAL) to channel humanitarian aid to communities affected by the armed conflict and the devastating earthquake of 1986. Since then, Fundación Poma has accompanied FUSAL’s efforts and has expanded its health intervention to other areas such as Early Childhood.
In his speech, Poma also referred to his impact in education, which began with the renowned Language, Literature and Spelling Contests, in 1989, and continued for 20 years.
One of the most visionary and recognized projects in the businessman’s social trajectory is the creation of the Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios (ESEN), in 1994, which to date has more than 2,650 graduates. ESEN’s academic offerings currently consist of four degrees: Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Business, Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Sciences, Business Engineering and Software Engineering and Digital Business.
“Personally, I always felt blessed by the academic training I had throughout my life and from a very young age I was aware that this opportunity should not be a privilege limited by economic circumstances. That gratitude provoked in me a determined call to have an impact in the field of higher education in El Salvador”, said Poma during his commemorative speech.
In 2007, the Foundation expanded its impact on education and created different scholarship funds to provide young people with a strong desire to excel and limited economic resources the opportunity to pursue technical or university studies. More than 3,000 young people have benefited from these initiatives.
According to the Foundation’s vision, art and culture are also central to social development, which is why, in 2003, it created the Luis Poma Theater. This program, said the businessman, “has marked a before and after in the history of Salvadoran theater through an uninterrupted billboard, a focus on the accessibility of the shows and an agenda of opportunities for artistic professionalization”.
Among the most outstanding results of “El Poma”, as the theater is familiarly called, are the presentation of around 225 plays by more than 100 theater groups, and the presence of almost 400,000 spectators throughout its two decades of operation. In addition, the Foundation has promoted the Ovación and Certamen Bienal de Dramaturgia contests to help artists to professionalize their careers and carry out artistic projects. Fourteen editions of the former have been held, and three of the latter.
In addition to its determined contribution to influence education, health and culture, the Foundation has also worked to promote a culture of well-being measurement among local actors and other organizations. Through its partnership with the international entity Social Progress Imperative, in 2014, and the subsequent creation of the Center for Social Progress, in 2016, it has promoted the use of the Social Progress Index, a comprehensive development assessment tool.
During his remarks, Poma emphasized that “the results of these programs are a sign that the business vision brings significant value to the execution of impactful social initiatives. The private mystique strategically orients the interventions, ensures the efficient management of resources and promotes a culture of measurement and effectiveness.
Commemorative book with success stories is launched
As part of the celebration of its four decades of history, the Foundation published the book “40 Stories of Social Welfare and Progress”. The book compiles the success stories of some of the participants of the social programs and their families, as well as the experience of allies who have worked with the Foundation, including the ¡Supérate! Business Program, the Salvadoran Red Cross, Fundación Ayúdame a Vivir, Fundación Teletón, Fundación Sana mi Corazón, among others.
“The journey of these 40 years has been as rewarding as its fruits. While the numbers project our profound impact, there is something that figures do not count: the enthusiasm, effort and determination of the people. They are the most important thing and the ones who give significance to our footprint”, said the Foundation’s president.
Some of the participants in the publication also shared their stories in a conversation during the commemorative event.
Ernesto Orellana, a graduate of the ¡Supérate! Fundación Poma and ESEN graduate, explained that thanks to the educational opportunities he has had access to, he has been able to achieve professional goals and contribute to improving his family’s living conditions. His siblings, Carlos and Beatriz Orellana, were also scholarship recipients in the ¡Supérate! Program and are ESEN graduates.
“Fundación Poma believed in me and in my future; they transformed my life and that of my family. They have inspired me to be an agent of change for my country. They taught me to never doubt the potential we have because all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them and not give up”, said Yamileth Diaz, who attended university with the support of a scholarship granted by the Foundation.
Lorena Juárez, writer, playwright and teacher, acknowledged the impact that the Foundation’s cultural program, Teatro Luis Poma, has had on her professional career, as winner of the V Premio Ovación, and in the cultural sphere of El Salvador. “The Luis Poma Theater has done something unprecedented, which is to sustain for 20 years a continuous billboard. That is very difficult”, he said.
Regarding the impact of Fundación Poma in the area of health, Marcela Magaña, head of FUSAL’s Humanitarian Aid Program, said that the synergy between the two organizations has contributed to the sustainability and expansion of interventions, since thanks to the support received it is possible to permanently help a network of more than 150 organizations that provide health services to vulnerable populations, achieving significant impacts such as increasing the life expectancy of patients with some chronic and rare diseases by up to 15 years.
Before the end of the commemorative event, the participants of the discussion presented the Poma family with an acknowledgement to thank them for their commitment to El Salvador.
