Restore the right to quality education in Colombia

With the new school year in full swing students and teachers in the Egipoto neighborhood are optimistic about the return of Circulos para ENprender. The educational community -including parents- hopes that with the suport of donors like you the project can return to their vulnerable neighborhood. 

Luz Dary Rojas, a Teacher Trainer from Fundación Escuela Nueva (FEN) worked on this project through-out its implementation. She explained, “One of the great challenges in Círculos para ENprender is to rescue the essence of childhood.  Most of the children have had to grow up quickly because of circumstances brought on by extreme poverty, such as working as young as 10, abuse, violence, and drugs. As a result, youth are exceptionally resistant to change and at risk of being trapped in the cycle of poverty.”

According to her, the goal of this program is to promote a change in the mentality of the young people living in places like the Egipto neighborhood. The work of FEN has proved its effectiveness by cultivating life skills, such as healthy decision making ability, co-operative problem solving, and self-esteem improvement among these students. 

“We have shown that the welcoming and friendly atmosphere of Círculos, helped kids to bring out the child inside them, and allow them to believe in a positive life. We can make the change when we believe in them, when they feel they are an important part of a society, and society can benefit from them. Ultimately Círculos offers new opportunities,” reported Luz Dary.

Case studies and qualitative evaluations have demonstrated that FEN's approach is sustainable. FEN focuses on spaces near students’ houses, and invests in the development of local stakeholders to facilitate change and become life-long leaders. According to the evaluation of the implementation of Círculos para ENprender in Egipto, children improved their levels of self-esteem and democratic behavior especially with greater appropriations of the instruments of student government.

In the Colombian context this critical as the country is experiencing significant momentum on the road to peace. FEN’s work in comprehensive education reform enables children to develop social skills to transform their lives and community, which ultimately is the key to creating engaged citizens and constructing peace.