La Fundación Retorno a la Libertad

Laura Perdomo is a legal coordinator and board member of the La Fundación Retorno a la Libertad (Return to Freedom Foundation), a Colombian organization that has spent over two decades defending the rights of incarcerated people, with a focus on women and their families.

With our Giving Joy grant, the Foundation will implement a handicraft and entrepreneurship program for 30 women at the Cartagena District Prison, many of whom are heads of households striving to maintain ties with and support their families. In addition, the grant will help develop ethical marketing strategies to connect their products with local and solidarity-based markets, ensuring long-term sustainability.

The project aims not only to build practical skills and generate income for women inside the prison, but also to extend its impact to their families, benefiting approximately 50 children and 30 older women who are primary caregivers. This initiative strengthens family bonds, creates pathways to dignity and self-sufficiency, and builds a replicable model for reintegration and community empowerment, grounded in the belief that everyone deserves a second chance.