By Anina Hewey | Communications Associate
As part of the Primary Education Enrichment program, Fabretto reaches out to parents of students to involve them in their children's education. Most children in rural communities have little to no support from home. Many parents are illiterate or only had few years of education themselves, or they lack time and motivation to get involved.
One of the goals of Fabretto’s education and community program is to make parents an essential part of school activities and guide them to support children from home. Over 1,000 parents volunteer regularly to support Fabretto's education and nutrition programs, including cooking school lunches, maintaining school infrastructure, and attending workshops on health and nutrition.
Juana*, a mother of two, is one parent volunteer who lives in a rural community in northern Nicaragua. Her story is a testimony to the impact of parent involvement.
Like most homes in her rural community, Juana's house is a small adobe structure with no electricity. She and her children live about 10 miles from the nearest town, Cusmapa, in Northern Nicaragua. But Juana has made her home a special place: a home in which education comes first.
For the past several years, Juana has participated in Fabretto's workshops and training programs. With this knowledge, she has gone above and beyond to help her 6-year-old son, Melvin, succeed. Before he was even old enough to enroll in preschool, Juana used techniques from Fabretto Montessori Methodology training to teach Melvin the vowels and other basic concepts. She beamed as she stated that her son learned to read in just three months. She even created an “enrichment corner” in her home with simple, homemade educational resources for her children.
The road to education isn't easy in rural Nicaragua. This year, Melvin began to attend 1st grade, and to reach the nearest public school, he must walk over an hour on unpaved roads and across several creeks (which often flood in the rainy season). The good news is that Fabretto's programs ensure that Melvin will learn with trained teachers and receive basic school supplies as well as a daily school lunch, thanks to generous donations from supporters around the world.
Juana continues to support her son from home and to volunteer with Fabretto. She proudly shares her son's accomplishments, which include winning a local reading competition. While Melvin was thrilled to win the small prize (candy and new notebooks), the greatest prize was for his mother, who saw how her efforts are paying off.
Juana's story shows the true meaning of the Fabretto community - working together to help children reach a better future.
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of our beneficiaries.
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