- 320 2614328
- donaciones@unidosparasonreir.com
- Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Creation of the Foundation.
The first campaign in memory of Laura was broadcast.
The SIC (Superintendency of Industry and Commerce) of Colombia grants an invention patent in favor of the Device Designer.
The Medical Device Director of INVIMA granted the INVIMA permit.
The manufacturing process for the Medical Rehabilitation Device for children with cerebral palsy began.
The first ten (10) medical devices for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy were delivered.
The first thirty-two (32) medical devices for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy were delivered.
Device production capacity was improved; consequently, seventy-one (71) medical rehabilitation devices for children with cerebral palsy were delivered, tripling deliveries during the COVID-19 period.
The sports event "We Move for Them" is held annually; 2024 was the 6th edition with more than 700 participants. In this event, people run to raise funds for the foundation's children with cerebral palsy.
Creation of the Foundation.
The first campaign in memory of Laura was broadcast.
The SIC (Superintendency of Industry and Commerce) of Colombia grants an invention patent in favor of the Device Designer.
The Medical Device Director of INVIMA granted the INVIMA permit.
The manufacturing process for the Medical Rehabilitation Device for children with cerebral palsy began.
The first ten (10) medical devices for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy were delivered.
The first thirty-two (32) medical devices for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy were delivered.
Device production capacity was improved; consequently, seventy-one (71) medical rehabilitation devices for children with cerebral palsy were delivered, tripling deliveries during the COVID-19 period.
The sports event "We Move for Them" is held annually; 2024 was the 6th edition with more than 700 participants. In this event, people run to raise funds for the foundation's children with cerebral palsy.
Let’s remember what we did this morning. Like every day, we woke up, stretched, got up, bathed, got dressed, had breakfast, brushed our teeth, and left our house for the destination we chose.
Now imagine that you want to get up, but you must wait for someone to lift you. That you are hungry, but you must wait to be fed. That you want to go out and play, but they return you to the bed where you will spend the rest of the day.
This was the life of Laura, our inspiration, a 5-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. She lived in a rural area of Colombia with her mother and two siblings. She did not have the resources or the elements to access a rehabilitation program. She spent 24 hours a day in the same position; her body was rigid, and her mother only knew that she had a problem in her head. In December 2015, Laura became an angel.
Like Laura, 300,000 children in Colombia suffer from cerebral palsy, and more than 70% of them live in poverty.
We were born in 2014 with the objective of improving the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities from low-income backgrounds. This is achieved through programs that involve psychosocial support, training on inclusion, income generation, and access to innovative elements that contribute to their rehabilitation, positively impacting their lives and their environment.
LEIDY CUESTAS, Founder of Unidos para Sonreír, revolutionized child rehabilitation in Colombia, inspired by Laura, a girl with cerebral palsy whom she met during her Industrial Design degree thesis. When Laura was born, doctors told her mother that she “had something in her brain” and to “buy a ball and move her” without even providing a diagnosis. When the designer learned of the girl’s conditions, she thought that no child in the world should go through this situation: Laura could not see or hear, had bedsores on her back, hip dysplasia, and severe malnutrition.
In 2013, this situation motivated the designer to develop a medical device for home rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy. The development of the device took place during the designer’s degree thesis; however, at the time the invention was finalized, Laura unfortunately passed away without being able to use the product created for her and her rehabilitation. Following this situation, which marked Leidy Cuestas’ life, the designer decided to create the Unidos para Sonreír Foundation in 2014.
To transform the lives of children with cerebral palsy and their families through a comprehensive solution that combines home rehabilitation, caregiver training, food assistance, income generation, and legal support.
Our mission is based on the conviction that true happiness arises when love, care, and access to opportunities come together. Therefore, we implement our Formula for Happiness: Rehabilitation + Inclusion + Comprehensive Support = Well-being and Hope, ensuring that each child and their family can build a future full of possibilities and dignity.
We work every day to guarantee that no family feels alone on their journey and to promote a more supportive society where everyone has the opportunity to smile.
To be a leading and benchmark organization in Latin America in the development and implementation of comprehensive solutions that transform the lives of children with cerebral palsy and their families, guaranteeing their access to quality rehabilitation, social inclusion, and a better quality of life.
We aspire to build a more empathetic and equitable society, where every child with a disability can reach their maximum potential in an environment that promotes well-being, dignity, and hope.
In Colombia, there are more than 300,000 children suffering from cerebral palsy according to DANE, and 70% of these children come from low-income backgrounds. For the most part, they depend on their mothers—heads of household—who quit their jobs to dedicate themselves to their children; consequently, these families have the highest extreme poverty rate in the country.
The Unidos para Sonreír Foundation, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy, their caregivers, and families, has delivered more than 560 medical devices for children with cerebral palsy across the country. This has generated a significant impact on the rehabilitation and well-being of these minors and their family units. At our Foundation, we believe “we help a child to heal an entire family”.
Led by Industrial Designer Leidy Cuestas, the Foundation has delivered five hundred and seventy-two (572) home rehabilitation medical devices in thirty (30) of the thirty-two (32) departments of Colombia.
The departments that have been impacted to the greatest extent are:
Bogotá D.C.
Cundinamarca
Atlántico
Meta
What have we achieved?
More than 572 children and their families across Colombia have received comprehensive support.
The Foundation has delivered rehabilitation devices that have improved the mobility and quality of life of the beneficiary children.
We have trained hundreds of caregivers, empowering them to provide more effective care.
In alliance with organizations such as LATAM Airlines, the Cardioinfantil Foundation, and Rehabilitación con Amor, we have conducted rehabilitation conferences in remote regions like San Andrés, impacting children who previously had no access to treatment.
We have become a benchmark for social innovation and health, being the pioneer foundation in implementing a comprehensive home-based rehabilitation model in Colombia.
Our impact is measured not only in numbers but in smiles, hope, and the tangible improvement of the lives of those who need us most.