Bring Well Being & Education to Children Globally

Hello and happy summer! As the days start to cool down, activities at our projects are heating up. Here’s the latest updates from our partners in Honduras, Guatemala, and Cambodia – enjoy!

Asociación Compartir: Tegucigalpa, Honduras:

Meet Cinthia! She is nine years old and lives in the Villa Nueva section of Tegucigalpa. Cinthia says she’s happy she joined the book club in Compartir’s library because she can learn many things about reading and make lots of new friends! Cinthia likes to come to the library because it is colorful and she always learns a lot while she is there. One of her favorite memories with Compartir is when her book club met with children in the Nueva Suyapa and Los Pinos sections of Tegucigalpa. She said they did reading activities and visited the Valle de Angeles cultural center. Cinthia’s story is why JustWorld loves being involved with Compartir: it allows children like Cinthia to discover her passion for books and reading!

There were many exciting activities happening at Compartir this quarter. One was the Fair of National Identity, a recurring event that takes place in the AGAFAN (a public square for fairs) in an effort to rebuild public spaces. The fair was put on predominantly by the children, parents, and youth of four nearby schools. This year’s fair also featured Jorge Montenegro who produced and starred in a recent feature film, Legends of Honduras!

A Science Fair and a Book Fair also took place this quarter. The Science fair was coordinated with Education District No. 10 with the goal of sharing the growing scientific talent of children and youth in Honduras. Twenty-six educational centers were invited, and Francisco Morazan delighted attendees with his science experiments as he served as a representative from the Autonomous National University of Honduras and the National Pedagogical University. The fair was well publicized by the media, with the TN5 news anchor Cesar Quintanilla in attendance. Overall, the event was a wonderful success of budding scientific talent and a fun way for children and their families to come together to celebrate academic achievements.

Another fun activity that took place this quarter was the performance of "The Adventures of Don Quixote de la Mancha.” The play was preformed in an artistic tour that took place in March and April by eighteen children from Los Pinos and Villa Neuva. The work was preformed successfully at 22 different locations, including the National Autonomous University of Honduras, a wonderful celebration of the Spanish language!

Right now, with the help of JustWorld (and your support!) Compartir is helping over 6,000 children learn to read, write, and make a difference. Thank you so much for all of your help!

PIO: Phenom Penh, Cambodia:

Meet Mr. Vuthy! Mr. Vuthy is valuable asset to PIO. As a medical student specializing in pediatrics, he has an excellent knowledge of child health and the ability to provide excellent care to children. The records Mr. Vuthy keeps of each student has helped PIO document its student’s medical histories in a way that is more detailed than ever before. He, in collaboration with the PIO projects manager, is building on the school’s database of medical information, and he provides reports showing the number of consultations and treatments he has preformed each month. On top of his record-keeping services, Mr. Vuthy gives the children at PIO excellent care!

In addition, PIO’s Deputy Director made the decision to increase the Social Worker’s role to include visits to high school aged children’s families. PIO hopes that with these new families included, the social worker will be able to reach at least 40 families a month. Social workers visit children’s’ homes when a family situation makes them unable to attend school. The more homes she visits, the more children can go back to school and get an education.

All children at both schools have received necessary textbooks, school supplies and uniforms. Out of all these children, over 800 have their materials directly funded by JustWorld International! In addition, attendance rates at both schools are better than 90 percent per day and the number of students enrolled remains steady. Retention rates are an important achievement, because many children leave school at a young age to work (often illegally) with their families. PIO has worked with families to make sure children stay in school through the 5^th and 6^th grades. High retention rates are proof of their success!

On behalf of our friends at PIO: “As always PIO is grateful to JWI for helping us build a brighter future for the children of Cambodia.” Thank you for all you’ve done in helping us help PIO!

Los Patojos: Jocotenango, Guatemala

The new school at Los Patojos, completed this winter, offers exciting opportunities to all parties involved with the project’s ongoing success. Los Patojos continues to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition, the new medical clinic was completed on July 6^th! Dr. Valle treats patients and supervises the clinic’s progress.

Two new developments following the completion of the new school have been teacher training and improving Los Patojos’ social projection to their surrounding community. In training, teachers attend an information session each week. They learn about topics such as student assessment, sexual education, and integration of children with disabilities. The teacher education program has strengthened the quality of instruction at Los Patojos, making students more prepared, motivated, and interested in learning. Los Patojos’ community involvement includes a school for parents and caregivers, cleaning the street and community spaces near the project, and beautifying the nearby Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church in Jocotenango. Through this work, the children at Los Patojos are setting an example of respect for themselves and respect for the community around them.

Finally, the IAC, the artistic development section of Los Patojos, has used the new space in the recently completed school to expand its outstanding work. The IAC continues with its goal of promoting personal growth by using art as a medium of self-expression. Many IAC groups that have benefitted from their new space, including a theater group called Mirror Company Theatre, a juggling group known as Orbita Code, two breakdancing teams (the B-boys and the Patojos Crew), and a Graphic Arts and Music Production team. A Journalistic Team and Woman’s Art Workshops have received new spaces as well!

We’re thrilled that our projects were able to accomplish so much this summer, and their achievements would not be possible without your help!

Dear friends,

We hope you are having a great start to your summer! We cannot be more thankful for your continual support, and we are proud to present to you some of what our projects have done this year. Here are some of the most recent accomplishments that would not have been possible without your help:

People Improvement Organization (PIO) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Meet Rachana! She is in Grade 5 and her interests are dancing, learning, and her little brother. When asked to share something important to her, she replied, "My mother had a new baby with her husband a couple months ago. We went to the province with my brother for the holidays, but the last day my mom asked me to stay home and take care of my new sister isntead of going back to the PIO shelter. She called PIO to tell them, but the day after the social worker came and told her she couldn't do that. I like to learn and live at PIO, but I couldn't say no to my mother. Fortunately, the social worker convinced my mother just like she did 3 years ago, that it was better for me to go to school and learn than staying home all day. I am lucky."

This year, 1,269 students are currently enrolled at PIO, 800 of whom are sponsored by JustWorld. For sponsored students, the dropout rate is only 15% - less than half the rate for unsponsored students. All 800 students have received school supplies and uniforms directly funded by JWI. Senior students have been employed to repair and cover books - there are now over 6,000 books in the library.

Aside from their academic classes, children at PIO are given the opportunity to participate in several after-school activities. 37 students, 24 female and 13 male, receive a JustWorld funded Traditional Dance class every week.

The social worker has continued to visit an average of 20 families per month in an attempt to help families that have had problems, which are usually erratic attendance from the students.

Additionally, Phymean Noun, the Founder and Director of PIO, had been nominated for the World's Children's Prize! Check it out here!

Los Patojos in Jocotenango, Guatemala

Ever since the inauguration of “Centro Socioeducativo Licenciado Magno Rudy Romero Arévalo” in January, 170 students have enrolled in the school, which has now been recognized by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education. Because of the changes in scheduling that have occurred, there have had to be changes in the nutritional program. Instead of snacks, breakfast is now served every day. Up to now, 13,723 breakfasts, 13,406 lunches, and 2,800 dinners have been served at Los Patojos. These 29,929 total meals have benefitted 167 children and 47 young adults daily. Construction of all three phases was just completed on Tuesday and visitors are always welcome to come see Los Patojos in action!

In addition, the Cultural Action Institute “Paulo Freire” was created this year. A group of young people meets 5 times a week with the intention of creating a space for dialogue, discussion, and compassion in their community. They do this through activities such as theater, juggling, breakdancing, and musical productions.

The main medical clinic is still under construction, so a temporary one has been functioning this year to meet the needs of the children and their families. From the moment it first opened on March 11, the clinic has treated 338 patients of all ages, averaging 21 per day. The youngest patient was 7 months old, and the oldest was a 57 year old woman. Respiratory problems, gastrointestinal diseases, dermatological problems, and traumas are only some of the issues this clinic has dealt with so far.

Asociación Compartir in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

22 performances of “The Adventures of Don Quijote” were arranged to be put on at different educational centers, both private and public, in April. These performances included the animation of the text and the recording of audio to facilitate the presentation of the play on different stages and to diverse audiences.

This school year began with over 2000 children and their families participating in the artistic and animation activities. One of the most important institutional activities was the distribution of school supplies and uniforms to all the participants. 4,847 boys and girls have participated in one or more of the following programs: Mobile Library, artistic workshops, visits to cultural centers and didactic concerts, and Videoteca activities.

25 participants received capacitation on redaction of technical documents, and one received masters degree in Library Science from the local university. In addition, a specialist was hired to work at the library in order to generate knowledge and help systematize the operation.

We appreciate all you have done to help us and kids such as Rachana. Have a wonderful day, and we look forward to continue working with you!

With love,

The JustWorld Team

Links:

• World's Children's Prize- Phymean Noun, PIO Founder and Director