On Mar. 24-27, The Resource Foundation (TRF), a New York-based nonprofit organization that faciliates philanthropic giving in Latin America and the Caribbean, is hosting an interactive conference in Panama to further strengthen the network of local leaders participating in its Regional Education and Gender Equity Program, funded by the Caterpillar Foundation.

The event, held within Panama City’s international community Ciudad del Saber – meaning City of Knowledge – convenes the program participants from 10 Latin American countries along with representatives from the Caterpillar Foundation and from selected educational authorities, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Panamanian Ministry of Education.

The conference will open with a presentation by Caterpillar Panama representatives Matthew Noe and Marlene Rodriguez Adames de Flores and with reflections by the expert guest speakers on the current educational issues and context in Latin America. The nonprofit partner participants will then engage in two days of intensive workshops to exchange best practices and lessons learned from year one of the program, and in a field visit to a school in the El Chagres community that is implementing it.

“The conference builds upon the regional program’s spirit of creating a practitioner network to address the most pressing educational issues in Latin America,” said TRF Executive Director Marcela Lopez-Macedonio. “This is a space for our nonprofit partners to share their methodologies, successes, challenges and overall experiences from the program’s first year to consolidate its position for success and optimize its impact in the next two years.”

Since 1987, TRF has been partnering with corporations, foundations and individuals to support life-changing programs driven by local nonprofit leaders in 29 Latin American countries. Its mission is to empower disadvantaged communities with the skills, knowledge and opportunities they need to improve their own lives. Over the past 26 years, TRF has provided more than $70 million in grants to support nearly 2,000 development programs that help millions of low-income individuals increase their self-reliance and living standards.

“The Caterpillar Foundation is proud to support the efforts of The Resource Foundation in Latin America,” said Caterpillar Foundation President Michele Sullivan. “It is our hope that focusing on strengthening the basics like reading comprehension will give these students a tremendous advantage in making the transition to secondary school, higher education and, ultimately, sustainable employment.”

The regional program was launched in January 2013 as a $3 million partnership between TRF and the Caterpillar Foundation over three years. It targets thousands of disadvantaged children in 71 elementary schools to develop a regional model for improving academic achievement, gender equity and life skills. The initiative is currently being implemented in Caterpillar’s key Latin American locations—Brazil, Mexico and Panama—and in countries where the need for educational support, particularly for girls, is great: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru and Uruguay.

To learn more about the conference, regional program or TRF, visit www.resourcefnd.org or call (212) 675-6170.

About The Resource Foundation
The Resource Foundation (TRF) is a U.S. nonprofit organization that facilitates charitable giving from corporate, foundation and individual donors to the Americas and the Caribbean. Since 1987, TRF has helped donors optimize the impact of their philanthropy through specialized, tailored services. By forming partnerships with carefully vetted nonprofit organizations in 29 countries, TRF empowers disadvantaged communities to gain the skills, knowledge and opportunities they need to improve their lives. TRF has received Charity Navigator’s highest rating, of four stars, for sound fiscal management and transparency. It is also a founding member of the Alliance for International Giving. For more information about TRF, visit its website or follow it on Facebook.

About the Caterpillar Foundation
Caterpillar Inc. supports the philanthropic efforts of the Caterpillar Foundation. Founded in 1952, the Caterpillar Foundation has contributed more than $500 million to help make sustainable progress possible around the world by providing program support in the areas of environmental sustainability, access to education and basic human needs. To learn more about the global impact of the Caterpillar Foundation, please visit www.caterpillar.com/foundation.

The Resource Foundation

The Resource Foundation

The Resource Foundation (TRF) is a U.S. nonprofit organization that helps donors support effective, locally driven development programs in Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada.

Founded in 1987, TRF provides tailored advisory, consulting and grant administration assistance to corporations, individuals and foundations interested in supporting high-impact programs throughout the region. Donors rely on TRF's regional expertise, multilingual staff and knowledge of the region’s nonprofits and programs to safely and securely support projects that make a difference.

Through partnerships, technical assistance and grants to carefully vetted organizations in 28 countries,TRF fulfills its mission to empower the disadvantaged so that they can have the skills, knowledge and opportunities to improve their lives.

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