By Dylann Ephraimson | JustWorld Intern
Happy summer, friends!
What are your favorite ways to cool down as the weather heats up? Our partners have been up to lots of exciting activities to help keep them moving forward during the summer months. We hope you enjoy their progress, the results of your support!
Tegucigalpa, Honduras: New happenings at Asociación Compartir include the increase of children’s reading clubs in each community, with 900 boys, girls, and youth having participated between January and March. Each reading club member read four books on their own, helping them strengthen the academic concepts they are working on in school. In addition, 3,756 boys, girls, and youth participated in activities organized at community libraries.
Compartir’s mobile libraries have gained more involvement from the communities and schools that they are affiliated with, and a positive change in behavior has been observed with the children and families. The libraries have received more visitors, and more children and parents have shown interest in their services.
In addition, mobile library events such as reading animation activities and video library workshops have taken place. Some of these activities are held in public spaces, helping to restore them as safe areas. One of the ways this is done is holding cultural festivals – check out the photos attached in the PDF!
In terms of cultural development, flute, choir, and theater groups have been organized, as well as field trips to Chiminike, an interactive museum, and a concert at the national school of music. In addition, diversified art mediums such as Gigantones (giant heads), stilt walkers, mimes and charades have been offered. These art forms improve self-esteem and capacity development, making them beneficial to the youth in these communities facing social risks. The successes of these programs have been recognized by other cultural institutions, and local authorities attended one of the children’s theater group’s presentations.
“I heard from many kids… they said this [mobile] library was something that had changed their lives completely, not only helping them with homework, but improving their reading skills, and also acting as an extracurricular.”
-Tiffany, JustWorld Ambassador and Volunteer
Jocotenango, Guatemala: The biggest new development at Los Patojos is the development of an internal leadership structure. Teachers have set guidelines for lesson plans, and students are responsible for taking care of their classroom spaces. In addition, Los Patojos initiated two new programs. The first is a scholarship program that is based on financial need, participation at the project, and maintaining good grades in school. So far, 18 students have benefitted!
The second is a program to chart student’s weight and supervise progress for any cases of malnutrition or obesity. No cases of malnutrition were reported in grades 2 and 3, and no cases of protein-calorie malnutrition or morbid obesity were reported in any of the youth over twelve years of age. The project served 11,617 meals to an average of 132 students per day!
This past April, 13 JustWorld Volunteers visited Los Patojos and shared some of their experiences here (Video begins at 1:27): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkZHcP3nGeQ&feature=youtu.be.
Also, be sure to check out footage from Los Patojos’ recent cultural night, which packed the school full of families and members of the community to enjoy performances put together by the teachers and students: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7711303/events/3095642.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Lots of positive change is taking place at People Improvement Organization (PIO). The biggest improvement has been in the library and social work program, where teachers visited 32 student’s homes (a 60% increase from the amount they saw in months prior) to meet with their families and discuss the children’s’ challenges in school, how PIO can address these challenges, and why families should keep their children in school.
Monthly attendance rates have remained the same while academic performance has increased significantly. 780 students have received school supplies and uniforms from JustWorld, Grade 6 pass rates are at 91 percent and 102 students are successfully studying in high school due to their preparation while at PIO. Talk about hard work paying off! Eight of these high school students from have been recognized for their outstanding academic achievement! Get the full story here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t0xzuxGzBam1hklSssqQYmxdsX71fsaQOg9rDvOr8bw/edit?usp=sharing. Students from PIO are not only going on to study at the high school level, but also at university. One PIO graduate, Veasna, is a university student teaching English at PIO. Read his story here:
After his father left Veasna worked with his aunt picking up garbage for sale. One day she asked him if he wanted to continue his study. He answered “yes”, and then his aunt looked for an NGO where he could study. She found PIO and brought him to live and study here. He has successfully graduated from high school, and is employed as a Grade 1 teacher at Borey Santipheap 2 and in the weekends he is studying for a Commerce degree at university.
PIO’s popularity has been on the rise, evidenced by the number of volunteers and visitors who have come to see the school and support its work. A visiting team of student nurses and their supervisors assessed PIO students and determined that they are generally in good health. They found an absence of diseases associated with poverty, which can be attributed to the nutrition program, access to a trained nurse, and health and hygiene education. Two JustWorld volunteers also taught English, helped in the shelter, and assisted visitors.
“It is difficult to find the right words to describe and thank for my unique, absolutely wonderful and amazing teaching time at PIO school. Teaching Grade 3A is, and was magical. The class is full of incredibly lovely and clever students who made me fall in love with them. “
- Leonora, JWI Volunteer January – April 2014.
Help us to spread the news amongst friends and colleagues- this program qualifies for Microsoft YouthSpark’s Bonus Day in which all donations up to $1,000 are being matched 100% today while funds last!
Have a wonderful day and stay in touch!
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