Claudia Ritzel is an industrial engineer and mother of 2 daughters and a son. She has been involved with Down syndrome for more than 6 years, since her youngest daughter was born with Down syndrome.
In May 2007, Claudia co-founded Fundown Caribe, a private non profit organisation, in her natal city Barranquilla, the 4th largest city in Colombia, located on the Caribbean coast. As President of Fundown Caribe since its creation, she has seen its membership grow to more than 400 persons, of which the vast majority are poverty stricken. Her aim has been to develop and conduct programmes, workshops and activities to promote, support and develop the skills of people with Down syndrome, their parents and carers, seeking to improve quality of life, empowering them and their families to be trained as self advocates of their independence and inclusion in all areas of society.
She is a member of Barranquilla City´s Council of Disability, representing persons with intellectual disability in Barranquilla. This Council, installed for the first time in 2009, serves to consult with and provide counsel for the different secretaries of the Mayor´s office and monitors public policy on disability.
Claudia also participates in several local round tables in which different disability organisations unite efforts to promote inclusion in all aspects of society: family, education, employment and social.
