We contribute to expanding what is possible.
We are a Colombian foundation that researches human development in all its dimensions to contribute to decision-making. We start from what already exists to expand what people are able to be and to do.
Observe, measure, contribute.
Three steps, always in this order, from evidence to action. Each one corresponds to a part of our symbol.
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1
Observe
We identify the capabilities, organizations and resources that already exist.
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2
Measure
We assess well-being across its different dimensions, using rigorous methods.
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3
Contribute
We turn evidence into action, recommendations and advocacy.
From what exists to what is possible.
We understand human development as the expansion of people’s real capabilities: what they are able to be and to do in the lives they value.
We start from a conviction: progress is built on what already works, with solutions that emerge from the community itself. That is why, before proposing anything, we identify the capabilities, organizations and resources that already exist; we then measure their situation rigorously and contribute to strengthening them. It is the line of thought of Amartya Sen and Albert Hirschman, and it guides each of our projects.
Well-being does not fit into a single number.
We measure human development across four dimensions that influence one another. Improving one without looking at the others leaves the work half done.
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Emotional
Psychological well-being, mental health and a sense of agency.
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Social
Relationships, trust, participation and the capacity to organize.
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Economic
Income, decent work and access to opportunity.
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Environmental
Energy, surroundings and sustainability.
What interests us most lies where they meet: how a change in one dimension moves the others.
Emotional dimension
How people feel about their lives and how much they feel they can shape them. Higher income does not always translate into greater well-being: confidence in one’s own capabilities is often the condition for every other improvement to last.
What we look at
- Life satisfaction and expectations for the future.
- Mental health, stress and psychological well-being.
- Sense of agency: the ability to decide and act.
- Confidence in one’s own capabilities.
Where they meet. When the sense of agency grows, people take a larger part in their communities and more initiative in their economic lives.
Economic dimension
The means by which people support their own lives and their families’. We look beyond how much is earned: how stable that income is, under what conditions people work, and what real opportunities exist to access jobs, credit and markets.
What we look at
- Income and its stability over time.
- Job quality and decent work.
- Access to credit, markets and financial services.
- Productive assets and means.
Where they meet. A stable income eases day-to-day pressure and makes room to plan, study and take part.
Environmental dimension
The setting in which life unfolds: access to energy, water and basic services, the quality of the place people live in, and their relationship with natural resources. Without a healthy environment, progress in every other dimension is at risk.
What we look at
- Access to energy and basic services.
- Water, air and soil quality.
- Exposure to climate and environmental risks.
- Sustainable use of resources.
Where they meet. Access to energy, for example, changes the hours available to study, work and spend time with others.
A bridge between resources and capabilities.
We work alongside funders, partners and donors so that every contribution arrives with awareness: backed by evidence, followed through, and together with those who make it possible.
Read our reports
Contact us.
Write to us to learn about our work, propose a project or explore a partnership.
contacto@simienteconsciente.orgAndrez Felipe Guerrero Torres
Founder and legal representative