OUR 26 YEARS OF WORK
1998 - 2016
In 1998, our founder Yecid Benavides Senior, with the help of the family, establishes the SIEMBRA FOUNDATION.
For more than 15 years, we worked with low income families, home industries, reconciliation events, and cinematography. Our efforts have been consistently focused on promoting development and peace. Bolivia and Latin America have always experienced violence and social upheaval, but these have increased alarmingly in recent years. And, since development and progress can only take place in the context of peace, we have turned our attention to address this pressing issue. The SIEMBRA Foundation has taken on the challenge to invest time, resources and energy in combating racism and violence in our country and beyond its borders. As conflict grew all around us, we made it our goal to sow unity and reconciliation with the confidence that it will produce a harvest of peace.
2000
For 5 years our family, through the SIEMBRA FOUNDATION, supported several impoverished families. We firmly believe in helping families as opposed to individuals because this creates a culture that is more likely to withstand the test of time, and it has an impact that grows exponentially through the generations of that family. So, we began by training members of the families in the production of arts and crafts. Then, we created micro-business for each family so they can sell their products and have an income to support themselves. But we didn’t stop there. We always believed that it is not enough to “teach people how to fish,” rather it is even more productive to go one step further and teach them how to sell their “fish.” We encouraged them to sell at a fair price and to create a sustainable family economy and industry.
2002
CHARACTER – PHILOSOPHY – CULTURE
Our Siembra Foundation developed this advanced leadership training project so that every individual can learn how to have a positive impact on their environment and their nation, through character building, transparency, ethics and high values.
Phronesis' Vision
Our Vision with the Phronesis program was to allow every human being to have a clear understanding of the values that form the basis for the development of nations and to be able to put these values into practice, thus transforming nations and changing people’s mentalilty. All of this yields a better world where we live in unity, peace and harmony.
Ropes Course Training
The SIEMBRA FOUNDATION developed yet another program based on strategies and immersive experiences and dynamics such “High Ropes Courses,” “Floor Dynamics,” “Low Ropes´ Courses” and “Strategy Adventures”, much in the vein of the Harvard School of Business’ Leadership Program. By placing individuals in artificial high-pressure, high stress and/or high-risk dynamics, we were able to extract life changing teachings that would be imprinted in the students’ minds and that would change their outlook on life.
Kentron's Vision
To train new leaders that have renewed minds through the transformation of their understanding, and that can develop skills such as: abstract thinking, capacity to formulate strategies, effective problem-solving, effective in decision-making, and that they may have the ability to take great risks and work as a team to affect nations carrying the outstanding character traits necessary to create lasting change in society.
2004
CINEGLIDE
Film Camera Stabilizer
The Siembra Foundation supported the creation of the film camera stabilizer named Cineglide. We created a micro-enterprise that supported the Terceros family in the city of Santa Cruz and that was dedicated to the production of this particular filmmaking equipment.
2006
RECONCILIATION
Forgiveness Event
On March 31, 2006, a great historical event was held in the city of Potosi in which representatives of the Qhechua people, Afro-Bolivians, authorities from Spain and Bolivia corrected past offenses and shook hands in a meeting of forgiveness and reconciliation
POTOSI – BOLIVIA
Reconciliation 2006 was an event to promote reconciliation between the Spanish descendants of the conquistadors and the Quechua native people of Bolivia
The Siembra Foundation organized the 2006 Reconciliation event in the city of Potosí, an event in which representatives of Spain and the Catholic Church met with the Quechua people and Afro-Bolivians at the famous centuries-old Coin Mint “Casa de la Moneda,” in order to shake hands in an official act of forgiveness. A commemorative plaque was officially set in the main square of the city of Potosi as a reminder of this historic moment.
The Foundation also supported the film production and editing of the “Reconiciliacion 2006” documentary.
2016 - 2018
In 2016, our Family’s film production company in Bolivia, Artistas Latinos Ltda., created the Cinematographic Cultural Center (CCC) in order to promote the development of the film industry and culture in Bolivia.
Our Cinematographic Cultural Center was intensely active and helped thousands of people in having a deeper understanding of art and finance, as well as the importance of leadership and self-development in art.
Cinematographic Cultural Center - LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
Centro Cultural Artistas Latinos - La Paz Bolivia
In 2018, we decided to change the name of the center to encompass a greater number of people and transcend the borders of Bolivia. The vision expanded towards all Latin American countries, and our plans for establishing the Foundation in the USA begin taking shape.
The Centro Cultural Artistas Latinos in Bolivia impacted the community by uniting artists, giving them artistic training, leadership training, opening doors for them, and leading them to focus their talents and abilities.
2019 - PRESENT
ARTISTAS LATINOS CULTURAL CENTER - FLORIDA, USA
In 2018, after having made the most watched movie in the history of our country, our family decided to take the strategic step of migrating to Florida, USA. Our goal is to reach the broad Latino and Hispanic community with our vision of a world where artists have financial stability, sustainable artistic success, and are effective leaders in a modern world.
Thousands of young people that want to impact their community through filmmaking, are deprived of a good education due to the lack of film schools or their high cost.