Fundación Dos Aguas, Rincón del Mar Colombia 2025

I spent two weeks volunteering in Rincón del Mar, Colombia, after discovering the opportunity through Workaway. I was hosted by Dania and Carmen from the Fundación Dos Aguas. During my stay, I worked with them to produce a short film about their innovative educational programme, TitaNext. The people were incredibly warm and generous, and the experience gave me the opportunity to learn more about the community while gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing young people in rural Colombia.

I stayed at Del Caribe Soy, a small lodge situated between the Caribbean Sea and the mangroves, next to the Dos Aguas Vegetarian Restaurant, where many of the TitaNext workshops were held. Each morning, I could walk just two minutes from my room and swim in the warm Caribbean waters before starting the day’s filming.

Rincón del Mar is a small fishing village on Colombia’s Caribbean coast within the municipality of San Onofre. The community is predominantly Afro-Colombian and has a rich cultural heritage shaped by generations of fishing traditions, music and oral storytelling.

The village sits on the edge of the Montes de María region, an area deeply affected by Colombia’s armed conflict. Despite this history, local people chose peaceful forms of resistance and have worked hard to rebuild their community. Today, residents are developing sustainable tourism initiatives, including mangrove tours, birdwatching, traditional music lessons and community-led cultural experiences.

During my visit, I also learned about the Festival Internacional de Cine Golfo de Morrosquillo (FICGO), a regional film festival that celebrates Afro-descendant, Indigenous and local histories through cinema. Although I arrived shortly after the festival had finished, its commitment to preserving cultural memory and promoting peace through storytelling echoed many of the themes I encountered while filming.

Music is another important part of life in Rincón del Mar. Alongside traditional Caribbean rhythms, reggae and sound-system culture have become an influential feature of the village’s contemporary identity.

For visitors, this blend of history, culture and creativity gives Rincón del Mar a distinctive character. Whether listening to local musicians, exploring the mangroves or simply talking with residents, it quickly becomes clear that the village’s greatest asset is its strong sense of community and resilience.

For many young people in Rincón del Mar, the transition from secondary education to university, technical training or employment can be difficult. Financial pressures, limited access to career guidance and the distance from educational institutions often create significant barriers.

Fundación Dos Aguas recognised this challenge and worked with the local community to develop a practical solution. The result was TitaNext, an educational programme designed specifically for the realities of rural Colombia.

The programme was created after listening carefully to local young people who expressed uncertainty about what would happen after they finished school. TitaNext provides academic support, vocational guidance and personal mentoring, helping students develop the confidence and knowledge needed to make informed decisions about their future.

While filming workshops and interviews, I witnessed how the programme goes beyond academic achievement. It encourages self-belief, communication skills and leadership, helping students see possibilities that may previously have felt out of reach.

Creating the film allowed me to see first-hand how educational initiatives can influence not only individual students but entire communities. Parents become more engaged in supporting educational aspirations, young people gain confidence to pursue new opportunities, and future generations grow up with broader expectations of what they can achieve.

As a filmmaker, I was reminded that some of the most powerful stories are not necessarily dramatic or sensational. They are often found in communities quietly creating positive change through determination, collaboration and local leadership.

My time with Fundación Dos Aguas and TitaNext was far more than a volunteer placement. It was an opportunity to document a community investing in its future and to learn how education, mentorship and storytelling can work together to create lasting impact.

For anyone interested in filmmaking, education, community development or responsible travel, Rincón del Mar offers a powerful example of how local initiatives can help shape brighter futures for young people. Through organisations such as Fundación Dos Aguas, programmes like TitaNext and cultural movements represented by Teacher Sound System, the village demonstrates how education, creativity and community leadership can create lasting change for the next generation.