Orient@te, the world at just a click!

Orient@te is a program that furthers quality education by helping teachers improve their computer skills, in order to take advantage of educational tools that aid students in their learning processes. Through this program, teachers also receive assistance on how to design and create interactive activities that enable them to transmit knowledge through technical tools. In 2009 the schools whose teachers and students received training in this program were: Institución Eductiva Benedikta Zur Nieden (52 teachers), Centro Educativo Vereda Bareño in Yolombó (2 teachers and 48 students), Institución Juan Miguel de Osuna in Santa Marta (54 teachers)

Food delivery

By donating our products and contributing with money, Noel helps provide relief to the neediest sectors. We further food banks and food delivery organizations such as Saciar, in the princiupals cities as Medellín, Bogotá, Cali, Ibague, Pereira, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga. Besides acting as a bridge between food donors and the community, these food organizations also work for the integral development of children and elderly people in the most vulnerable communities. Noel donated 2,500 million pesos in 2009.

School for grocers

This type of “school” is promoted in all of the distribution agencies in Colombia. The skills and knowledge imparted enable the grocer to make use of new commercial practices in his store, bringing about results that can be seen in both administrative and commercial aspects, and which have created a new business culture for the small retailer. The program has given way to strengthening and consolidating commercial relations and helped its beneficiaries increase the profitability of their businesses. The program was not carried out in 2009 but 1,100 grocers have profited from the program in former years.

Support for mothers who are heads of family

n Litoempaques, one of our associated companies, the hiring policy is to favor women who are heads of family; currently 30% of the employees are women. They are given opportunities to generate family income and to improve their skills through regular educational programs that help them face their challenges.

Our Christmas Show

Noel’s yearly tradition is to offer the people of Medellín a marvelous Christmas show for free. These colorful, musical performances, besides providing family fun during the holidays, aim at having children and their parents reflect on Christmas values. Approximately 120,000 people attend these performances yearly.

Noel and the community grow together

This program is carried out by Noel through and agreement with Comfenalco, and is aimed at providing education, sports and leisure activities for the children of the community of Guayabal. Groups totaling 180 children participated in the soccer and basketball programs in 2009.

Volunteers

Everyday, more and more Noel volunteers commit themselves to help the community by contributing with their time, money, and knowledge. With their contributions these volunteers generate opportunities for those less favored, helping to close our social gaps.

Volunteers volunteering with time

Nutrition, education, transfer of knowledge, and arts and culture are the fields in which these volunteers work. In 2009, 470 of these time volunteers contributed 3,353 hours to the following social projects:
1. Education Compañía de Galletas Noel furthers the program known as Leaders of the 21st Century, through which, in 2009, two educational institutions were aided in their processes for quality education improvement.

2.Entrepreneurship and generation of income. Contributing time, know-how and skills, Noel volunteers help social institutions and small-medium enterprises develop projects that strengthen managerial abilities in order to improve services offered to the community: • Strengthening Food Banks - Advice is given concerning management and implementation of good manufacturing practices, which help handle distribution of foods received from different benefactors. • Medellín my Company – through this program sponsored by the Medellín Chamber of Commerce, Noel volunteers helped small-medium enterprises with their projects of becoming more competitive in the market; companies benefited in 2009 were: Arepas SARY, Colorganics, Alimentos Nebraska and Oralhome.

3. Leisure Activities, Art and Culture Noel volunteers shared their time, bringing fun and laughter to children, adolescents and elderly people from different social foundations among which are: FAN, PAN, FULIM, the Community of Villatina, Pacheli, Adoption Center Los Pisingos, Asilo Colonia Belencito, Asilo San Antonio, Fundación Mi Hogar. Volunteers volunteering with money In 2009, through the “sponsor a child program” of the foundation for children -

Committee for child care, FAN ( Fundación de Atención a la Niñez)

Noel volunteers financed education, psychological help and nutrition programs for 344 children between ages 0 to 6. Other 600 volunteers gave financial support to our committee known as SolidarYdad. This committee aims at helping social foundations, families, educational institutions and small-medium enterprises, acquire tools, school supplies and other materials they might need to proceed with their activities. The SolidarYdad committee receives a percentage of its funds from Noel itself and the rest from Noel volunteers.