EDUCATION
Starting the day with stretching... with their teacher Fatima...
Thanks to some generous donors, in July 2024 we were able to get a young local mother, Fatima, to start working with the children. The children start arriving at 9:00 am, Monday to Friday, as the Community Center has become a safe place for them to be, before they get their lunch. Fatima does some stretching exercises, games, and then activities that help them develop their motor skills, such as coloring, drawing, as well as teaching them the alphabet and numbers. She gets them organized for lunch; to wash their hands before meals, keep their area tidy, and she helps with organizing the children for their meal. She gives them life skill lessons that perhaps they are not getting at home. She is working until 2 pm each day with over 200 children!
When school started in August 2024, we were surprised to learn that many of the children we feed, don't go to school at all. So we frantically raised funds to pay for their enrollment, uniforms and school supplies. Then we found many had no prior "pre-school" education because their grandmothers, who they live with, have limited education themselves, and no money for learning activities or toys.
So we asked for donors to help - and we managed to enroll 30 children into school. Some for the first time! These photos are from when the children collected their uniforms, supplies and shoes for school. All organized by Anita and her team.
We now have a volunteer, Mark, who is teaching the children English in a fun way.
And we hired a primary school teacher and assistant to work with the children who need to catch up with learning the alphabet and numbers now they are in school.
In 2024, some of our donors also helped three students with getting their high school education. One student is continuing high school, and two, who are older, finished adult prepa classes and are awaiting their graduation ceremonies.
We have been supporting education of youth and adults since 2016. The Brigada youth (led by Anita Torres) who we first worked with, were taught leadership skills, first aid, firefighting and search and rescue, and were encouraged to volunteer in the communities for the betterment of all, and stay in school.
We are grateful for the support from St Andrew's Anglican Church in Riberas, for their support of over 60 youth, so that they could attend school (pre-covid days).
In 2019, the Mexican Government introduced the educational "beca"(grant) program for low income families, designed to encourage students to stay in school. This was great, but then Covid closed the schools and for many children, on-line learning was not possible, so they gave up on school.
The youth in these areas have many challenges in planning their futures, and the pressure is on them to support their families by working. Their parents can't afford education for their children, and don't always understand the value of education.
If a student actually passes the high school exams (prepa), they can't imagine taking a 4 year course in any subject. Most opt for shorter college programs. But they still struggle, because their education levels are below urban school levels.
In 2022 and 2023, with the help of some sponsors and Work, Play, Love, we helped five adults with their auxiliary nursing training.
They are now completing their courses and taking final exams. Then they have to complete their volunteer training hours... (One student passed the exam is now working as a nurse in Chapala! That is wonderful!)