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Empowering Future Leaders: Expanding Sustainable Development Education in Colombia & South Africa

By Dr. Lucia Rodriguez, Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) Program

A Voice from the Bahía Málaga Region

Several years ago, I traveled with a delegation from the University of Los Andes (UniAndes) to Colombia’s Uramba Bahía Málaga National Natural Park, a protected area accessible only by boat along Colombia's Pacific coast.

Once at the park, Alec (a pseudonym), a young park official and our guide, demonstrated a deep knowledge of the rainforest and its communities. Passionate about conservation, he worried about threats like agricultural expansion, biodiversity loss, and the disappearance of Indigenous and African heritage communities due to migration.

I remember remarking to the delegation that Alec, with his extensive knowledge and passion for the region’s biodiversity, should be in the capital, Bogotá, shaping the policies that impact forest management. In response, Alec recognized that without a higher education degree, he would remain in a supporting role while others, often with fewer local ties but more credentials, would make key policy decisions affecting his community.

The Master’s in Development Practice: Empowering Changemakers

Achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires a collective, cross-sectoral, and interdisciplinary approach to facilitate meaningful transformations. Recognizing this need, the Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) program was launched in 2008 to equip professionals like Alec with the interdisciplinary skills, knowledge, and attributes needed to lead sustainable development initiatives and support the SDGs. To date, we have celebrated the achievements of over 8,000 MDP alumni from more than 30 MDP programs in 23 countries working around the world to address the complex challenges of sustainable development.

The MDP program offers in-person, online, or hybrid formats to ensure accessibility. However, financial barriers continue to prevent many from pursuing formal education such as the MDP, limiting the representation of marginalized voices in global sustainability efforts.

The Leopold Bachmann Foundation’s Commitment to Inclusion

To address the financial barriers, the Leopold Bachmann Foundation has partnered with the MDP Global Association in January 2025 to provide scholarships over two years for students at the University of Los Andes (Colombia) and the University of Pretoria (South Africa). At least 60% of these scholarships will support Indigenous and African heritage women practitioners — leaders who are already driving sustainability in their communities but lack formal credentials to scale their impact.

Through this initiative, we aim to:

  • Increase diversity and inclusion in sustainable development programs at the University of Los Andes and the University of Pretoria.
  • Strengthen local leadership by supporting those already engaged in community-based sustainability.
  • Build a global network of empowered practitioners.

Beyond scholarships, we envision a South-South exchange program, fostering meaningful cross-cultural collaboration and knowledge sharing between LBF scholars

Additional initiatives include:

  • Expanding access to MDP programs for Indigenous and African heritage practitioners across Latin America and Africa.
  • Creating shared events, such as a Global Challenge, where cross-cultural teams tackle sustainability issues.
  • Establishing mentorship, research, and networking opportunities through the global MDP network.

Conclusion

The Leopold Bachmann Foundation recognizes that sustainable development depends on local changemakers from the global South like Alec — leaders with the knowledge and lived experience to drive meaningful change in their communities, regions, and countries. The MDP program serves as a catalyst for these practitioners, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle the complex challenges of sustainable development and contribute to achieving the SDGs.