Is the Buen Vivir of indigenous social enterprises in Colombia informing SDGs?

Purpose This paper aims to study the Colombia Buen Vivir and how indigenous social enterprise strategies inform and contribute for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by reaching sustainability and the well-being in the community. Design/methodology/approach Using participatory video research (PVR), this work draws upon evidence from a multiple case study of five indigenous communities (Curripaco, Puinave, Yanacona, Misak and Wayuu). Ethical approval was obtained from the five indigenous social enterprises (ISEs) in Colombia. Findings What emerged from the findings is that the SDGs were addressed before the SDG Agenda in 2015. Moreover, the findings revealed that the cultural values of indigenous people had not been contemplated in the SDGs. Research limitations/implications The cases respond to a particular context (Colombia); therefore, this invites us to be cautious when extrapolating the results to other regions. Practical implications This work addresses a research gap that points to the lack of studies that focus on ISEs and the SDGs in developing countries. Further, this work sheds light on the role ISEs play in the quest for communities to achieve sustainability and well-being. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to explore whether the SDGs embed sufficient ways of knowing and doing by the Latin American Buen Vivir of ISEs.