Cultural preservation and educational advancement: conditional cash transfers among Wayuu Indigenous youth

This study examined the relationship between Colombia’s Familias en Acción conditional cash transfer program and secondary education completion among Wayuu Indigenous youth from 2008 to 2024. Propensity score matching, multilevel regression, and a fuzzy regression discontinuity design were applied to administrative records for La Guajira. Across the three specifications, sustained program participation was associated with gains of approximately 15–19% points in secondary-school completion. The convergence of estimates across identification strategies strengthens the interpretation of the educational effect, while community-informed contextual analysis situates these gains within Wayuu concerns about cultural continuity, traditional knowledge, and community autonomy. The findings indicate that culturally responsive social protection can expand educational opportunities when formal schooling remains compatible with Indigenous systems of knowledge and self-determination.