Amid the mountains of Molagavita, where dusty roads seem to distance rural communities from many opportunities, an unusual day broke the routine at Lagunitas Educational Institution.
The Industrial University of Santander (UIS) arrived in this corner of Santander through its Donations with Social Responsibility program, an initiative through which the university delivered items removed from its inventory to the rural school, authorized under Resolution 669 of 2026.
From early in the morning, Lagunitas Educational Institution was experiencing a different kind of day. Although the furniture and equipment donated by UIS had arrived days earlier, the excitement among students and teachers remained strong as they took part in cultural and sports activities, as well as career guidance sessions that transformed the school routine.
What once occupied space in university classrooms and offices has now found a new purpose in a territory where every resource is valuable.
In Lagunitas, none of these items are seen as secondhand. On the contrary, each one represents a necessary tool to strengthen the education of children and young people who study under limited conditions.
More furniture means better workspaces, while laptops and video projectors represent an opportunity to modernize classes and bring students closer to technological tools that often seem far removed from rural realities.
Because in a school like this, a chair is not just a seat. It is the place where a student spends hours building their future. A desk is not simply a piece of furniture. It is the space where ideas, assignments, and projects are created. And a video projector can become the window that connects students to a world far beyond their rural communities.
The UIS visit went beyond donating furniture
The day also included cultural, sports, and career guidance activities led by students from UIS cultural and sports groups, who also visited the Alto del Rayo campus, located in the heart of the Chicamocha Canyon. Through dance performances, karate demonstrations, and conversation spaces, the educational community experienced something uncommon for the rural area.
“It is very meaningful for us to see UIS present in our territories,” said teacher Jorge Francesco Hernández Miranda. “Getting here is not easy, and you come not only with donations, but also with culture, sports, and motivation for our students.”
The school principal, Eugenio Mejía, highlighted the importance of the visit for the entire educational community. “It is extremely important because it benefits students, teachers, and parents by strengthening teaching and learning,” he stated. He also explained that the furniture, laptops, and audiovisual equipment were urgent needs for the institution.
For many families, the day meant something even more significant: feeling that the university can also reach remote areas. “Activities like this almost never happen here,” said parent Diana Paola Valero Soto. “We are very grateful because our children can learn about more opportunities and receive information that truly helps their future.”
Enthusiasm and new aspirations
“I liked that they came and explained what careers we could study,” said Ariel Medina Duarte. Meanwhile, Didier Soto Duarte shared that he dreams of one day becoming part of the UIS soccer team.
Although officially the delivery is part of an administrative process for decommissioned assets, in Lagunitas its meaning goes much deeper. Here, the objects did not arrive as institutional leftovers, but as tools capable of closing educational gaps and opening opportunities.
In the mountains of Molagavita, transformation did not arrive in the form of megaprojects or massive constructions. It arrived through reused desks, restored computers, and equipment that found a second life serving those who need it most.
And amid the rural landscapes of Santander, one thing became clear: sometimes education is not transformed only through major investments, but also through concrete actions capable of turning what was forgotten into hope.
