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Our founder

Jeannette Perry de Saravia, winner of the Cafam Woman Award for her lifelong work dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of people with disabilities, led CIREC Foundation since its creation in 1976, serving tens of thousands of patients. Thanks to her work and the legacy she left at CIREC, the lives of thousands of Colombians with disabilities have healed and will continue to heal comprehensively. Jeannette materialized her vital purpose through CIREC's mission:

Physically, emotionally, and spiritually heal patients and their families..

Learn more about the life and work of our founder

She was born on February 6, 1941. She graduated high school as an outstanding student from the Marymount School in Bogotá. Since her adolescence, she was interested in helping others through physical rehabilitation, so she decided to study Physiotherapy at the Universidad del Rosario / National School of Rehabilitation, graduating in 1961. Then she did her professional practices at the San Juan de Dios Hospital.

Jeannette, seeing that the health system could not afford prostheses for low-income people, and that people with disabilities excluded from the corporate world, founded CIREC in 1976 with the name Fundación Pro-Cirugía Reconstructiva, with which she sought sponsors for those patients who needed surgical prostheses and trained them to return to work. Since its creation, CIREC Foundation's rehabilitation approach has been comprehensive, since it not only seeks to heal patients physically, but also spiritually and emotionally. In 1985, following the Armero tragedy, the Swedish Government provided a donation that was used to build the current headquarters.

Her professional life was full of awards and titles. She was honorary president and member of the Board of Directors of IDEAL, Secretary of the Colombian Association of Physiotherapy, charity jury of the Alejandro Ángel Escobar Foundation, director of the Colombian School of Rehabilitation, and founder and director of the Fundación Pro Cirugía Reconstructiva (currently CIREC). Thanks to her commitment and hard work, throughout her life, she won important national and international distinctions, among which are: Alejandro Ángel Escobar Charity Award (1966 and 1986), Recognition of Cafam Woman (2000), Orden al Mérito en el grado de Caballero de la Cámara de Comercio Colombo Americana (1987) and the Imserso Honorary Award (Spain, 1991)..

After a life dedicated to helping others, Jeanette passed away on December 27, 2016. She was an exemplary human being and an extraordinary health professional, a pioneer in the changes that Colombia has begun to establish in terms of rehabilitation and inclusion of people with disabilities in society. So much love and service, translated into science and knowledge throughout four decades of her tireless work, have led CIREC to be what it is today.

Our Executive Director

“In the imagination of the vast majority of people, the word 'disability' is related to the limitations of the human being. At CIREC Foundation, our vision is not limited to a qualifier; on the contrary, we love to challenge the global ideology to achieve exceptional results in people who have the ability to reinvent themselves through Comprehensive Healing. We seek to fully understand the needs of our patients with multiple abilities to help them improve their quality of life”.

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Testimonials

Our human team

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Juan Manuel Guevara:
Medical-scientific director

"Who does not live to serve, does not serve to live."

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Catherine Guarín:
Director of the special projects unit

"Thanks to the work in the territory that we develop in CIREC, I have realized that helping a person may not change the whole world, but surely we can change that person's world and empower them transformer others’ lives."

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Alberto Sehuanes:
Director of Healing Lives unit

"My work at CIREC represents having more sensitivity towards our human condition and a greater capacity for understanding it."

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Felipe Duarte:
Entrepreneurship and crowdfunding

"Creating high-impact ventures for the benefit of people with disabilities has taught me that the capacity of the human being exceeds our imagination."

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Alexandra Espinosa:
Knowledge management

"To be part of CIREC is to be able to help the impossible to be possible and that a smile from our patients is the greatest reward for our work."

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Silvia Galvis:
Marketing and Communications

"Working at CIREC challenges me every day to use communication as a powerful tool to express the founding vision of our institution and its impact on the world."

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Lina Herrera:
Public relations

"Every day I think that having a job that positively impacts someone is a blessing."

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Soraya León:
Work inclusion in territories

"My work at CIREC represents putting my humanity, knowledge and talents at the service of the most vulnerable populations."

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Ayda Martínez:
Functional rehabilitation

"Working at CIREC means taking by the hand those who need me the most."

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Ernesto Medina:
Commercial / Medical devices and EPS

“CIREC is the place where I have had the opportunity to better understand the human condition and to be a better person. A man more aware of the needs a human being can have.”

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Ingrid Peláez:
Human Resources

“Working at CIREC means believing in our employees so that they trust and transmit happiness to all our patients. CIREC is admiration and social responsibility."

FaCamilo Terán
Camilo Terán:
User experience manager

"My activity at CIREC means being more sensitive to what is not perceptible for many, developing listening skills, understanding and reasoning."

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Adriana Sierra:
Comercial de ARL

“Trabajar en CIREC es hacer la diferencia. Cuando te gusta y apasiona lo que haces y para quién lo haces, no trabajas, aportas a la vida y construyes felicidad”.

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