International volunteering. Priceless experience!

Seven Ecuadorian students experienced an exchange program at UCundinamarca, where they shared knowledge and participated in social and environmental actions.

By: Alejandro García Suárez – Advisory Office of Communications

The Institution continues to strengthen its international ties through the "Dialoguing with the World" program, an initiative that made it possible to welcome seven students from the Technical Particular University of Loja, Ecuador, who participated in the International Volunteering modality between July 27 and August 10, 2026.

During their stay, the students had the opportunity to learn about different realities of the region, share knowledge, and participate in academic, social, and environmental experiences, turning their experience into a learning space that transcended the classrooms.

For Anahí Maurad, a Clinical Psychology student, the experience was meaningful both personally and professionally. She highlighted the kindness of the people she met and the opportunity to participate in activities with communities of children and older adults. “We take away many lessons and enhanced skills such as empathy and proactivity. We were able to help with whatever was needed and learn to adapt to unplanned situations,” she explained.

The student also highlighted that contact with different populations contributed to her professional training and allowed her to understand the importance of providing tools that contribute to the well-being and quality of life of communities.

For his part, Mario Sarmiento, a Biology student, described his experience at the University of Cundinamarca as pleasant, both for the academic learning and the cultural exchange. One of the moments he highlighted was his participation in an environmental reforestation campaign carried out at the institution. “Academically and personally, I was able to learn a lot from the people, their kindness, and the different programs we shared, especially in environmental topics,” he stated.

The experience also left a mark on Tamya Puchaicela, who highlighted the warmth with which they were welcomed as foreign students and the opportunities they had to explore the campus, participate in activities with schools, visit the University farm, and engage in reforestation days. As a Clinical Psychology student, she affirmed that contact with different realities is essential for her training: “Being in contact with people and different realities helps us have a better professional practice. This not only represents personal enrichment, but professional as well.”.

Joining this exchange of experiences was Freddy Yamunaqué, a Psychology student, who highlighted the cultural encounter as an opportunity to compare ways of understanding life, education, and work with communities in Colombia and Ecuador.

“I am taking away an opportunity for cultural exchange, an encounter between how we see the world and how they do it here in Colombia,” she expressed, also highlighting her interest in learning about the social and community engagement programs being developed in the country.

Beyond its participation in specific activities, International Volunteering established itself as a setting to share knowledge, strengthen skills, and generate actions aimed at collective well-being. The experience allowed Ecuadorian students to take away new learnings and, in turn, contribute their knowledge to the communities and spaces they accompanied during their stay at the Institution.

This experience reflects the spirit of the Transmodern Digital Educational Model (MEDIT), which promotes training that transcends the classroom and connects knowledge with the realities of the territory. Through the dialogue of knowledge, interaction with other cultures, and participation in actions that contribute to communities, the University of Cundinamarca strengthens an education aimed at forming transhuman, active, and transformative subjects, capable of learning from the world and contributing to its transformation.

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