Strategic Communications for Maleua Foundation
Danya Balero
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Posted Jul 1, 2025
Strategic communication, visual identity, and dissemination efforts for multiple community-based cultural and educational projects under a nonprofit.
🌿 Case Study: Strategic Communications & Visual Identity for Fundación Maleua
Social Impact, Culture & Community Development | Colombia
🎯 Project Overview
As part of my work with Fundación Maleua, an Afro-Colombian civil society organization based in the Colombian Caribbean, I led the strategic communication, visual identity, and dissemination efforts for multiple community-based cultural and educational projects.
Fundación Maleua focuses on repairing the social fabric and promoting sustainable development in Santa Marta and the Colombian Caribbean, working with vulnerable communities including Afro-descendant children, youth, adults, people with disabilities, and populations affected by armed conflict.
Most of the foundation’s projects are funded and supported by the Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia, requiring high standards of rigor, accountability, reporting, and institutional communication.
❗️Challenge
Communicating complex, historically sensitive topics (Afro-Colombian memory, identity, racism)
Building trust and engagement with diverse community audiences
Creating consistent visual and narrative identities for multiple projects under one foundation
Balancing community-focused communication with institutional and governmental requirements
Managing both external dissemination and internal project documentation
✏️ My Role
Communications & Visual Strategy Lead
Across Fundación Maleua and its projects, I was responsible for:
Strategic communication planning for cultural and social impact projects
Visual identity creation and brand system development
Social media strategy and community management
Design and production of all digital and printed materials
Event communication and on-site support
Local press coordination and dissemination
Institutional communications:
Project proposals and presentations
Reports and results documentation
Materials for public funding and accountability processes
💡 Strategic Approach
The communication strategy focused on making Afro-Colombian history, memory, and cultural contributions visible, accessible, and engaging, while maintaining institutional credibility.
Core principles:
Community-centered storytelling
Respectful, research-based historical narratives
Strong visual identity rooted in Afro-Caribbean symbolism
Clear differentiation between each project while maintaining foundation coherence
🧩 Key Project Highlight: KADDUME
📖 Project Context
KADDUME (Construyendo Memoria) was the first flagship project of Fundación Maleua and remains one of its most impactful initiatives.
The program is framed within the axis of memory, identity, and recognition, aiming to contribute to the reconstruction of Afro and ancestral memory in Santa Marta and the Colombian Caribbean, and to resignify the historical contributions of Afro-descendant communities to the region and the country.
🎨 My Contribution to KADDUME
Designed the entire visual identity of the project from scratch
Created all graphic and illustrative assets
Developed printed educational booklets (“cuadernillos”) as the project’s first physical output
Led the transition from physical materials to a digital memory platform (blog-style archive)
Managed social media communication and content strategy
Supported and documented community events and cultural gatherings
The visual and narrative foundations created during this phase remain in use today, evolving but staying true to the original system.
🔄 Broader Work with Fundación Maleua
Beyond KADDUME, I supported communication efforts across multiple projects developed with partner organizations such as Asafronelman, including:
Cultural and educational initiatives
Traditional Afro music programs
Community empowerment and identity projects
While each project had its own objectives, my role consistently involved:
External dissemination and community outreach
Visual and editorial production
Institutional communication and reporting
Alignment with public funding requirements
🛠️ Key Deliverables
Visual identity systems for foundation projects
Social media strategies and content execution
Educational printed and digital materials
Event communication assets
Institutional presentations and reports
Press and local media materials
💬 Reflections
Working with Maleua foundation was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. It challenged me to communicate with responsibility, cultural sensitivity, and strategic clarity, while navigating the rigor required by publicly funded cultural projects.
This work strengthened my ability to operate at the intersection of social impact, culture, design, and institutional communication, ensuring that community voices were amplified without losing structure, credibility, or sustainability.
