About Us
The ❤️ Behind Cultivar Cartagena
Our Story
Cultivar Cartagena is driven by a love for the city of Cartagena and its people. We believe in the power of community, resilience, and the human spirit and are here to foster a sustainable and thriving future.
Cultivar Cartagena started as a private initiative by husband and wife co-founders Leah Fisch and Harold Madero. Cartagena, a city on the Northern Caribbean coast of Colombia, is where Harold was born and raised, where Leah and Harold met, and is the home of many family and friends.
Cartagena is a city where tourism plays a central role in the local economy, and in 2020, with the sudden rise of the pandemic, the economy came to an abrupt halt. Families and friends that once were thriving and successful struggled to put food on their tables, while marginalized communities who were already struggling were in even worse situations, simply trying to survive.
Leah and Harold began thinking of ways to provide a lifeline to those struggling while preserving the dignity and self-sufficiency of those they were helping without them having to ask.
The Mission Began Small
It began with supporting friends with small financial gifts and working with a local non-profit to provide groceries for those struggling. It soon became clear that they could do much more within the community.
In 2022, they officially founded Cultivar Cartagena. With help from volunteers within the community, they began providing weekly grocery delivery to families and distributing clothing anonymously to those who needed it.
Eventually, they began supporting a local Children’s Center, providing daily meals to 200+ children in the community five days a week while sponsoring English lessons, books, crayons, and other essential materials and providing stipends for the five women who run the center.
As Cultivar Cartagena’s efforts grew, the vision grew as well, resulting in a mission to empower, educate, and cultivate lasting positive change in the marginalized communities of Cartagena, Colombia.
The organization is committed to addressing the immediate needs of individuals and families within these communities while providing them with the skills, tools, and opportunities to build a better future for themselves, Cartagena, and Colombia.
In March 2024, Cultivar Cartagena officially opened their first children’s cafeteria.
Together, we can create lasting change - one person, one family, one community at a time.
How Can You Help?
Every act of kindness, every contribution, and every partnership brings us one step closer to our vision of a stronger, self-sufficient Cartagena. Share our mission and this website, or donate whatever feels good to you- even $5 helps!
