This project will fund multiple seed grants to 48 youth/teams ages 10-20 years at Amun Shea in Morazan, El Salvador, Central America, providing the materials necessary to conduct life-changing research in their communities.
Rural communities in Northern Morazan, El Salvador are some of the most impoverished and hardest hit by the climate crisis with low-quality education further worsening outcomes for youth and their families. This project will provide 48 youth with the means necessary to be real changemakers in their communities while enriching their educational experience at Amun Shea.
Problem-based learning is at the core of Amun Shea school. Students who see existing problems firsthand engage in hands-on investigations to create tangible and positive change in their impoverished communities, tackling issues like unsafe drinking water and child malnutrition. Examples of past student projects include testing local water quality, developing a safe home water treatment system, and creating eco-friendly pest control options.
This project will provide seed grants to 48 youth/teams who will implement projects that directly benefit communities throughout rural Northern Morazan, El Salvador, allowing for bottom-up solutions. In addition to impacting their communities, youth researchers will gain hands-on experience in the application of scientific knowledge and will become innovative thinkers and powerful agents of change who will generate even bigger changes at a national and international level in the future.