This project will work with local, community-led organisations in Venezuela to reduce the education gap that has resulted from many years of complex humanitarian crisis, and has been further compounded by the pandemic. By providing incentives to stay in school, resources and training to improve the quality of education that kids receive, and opportunities beyond school, we will improve attendance, achievement, and aspirations. Because these children are the future. And they deserve a future.
Venezuela's education system - already devastated before the pandemic - has been worsened by almost two years of lockdowns. Learning from home was not a possibility for many due to power cuts and lack of internet and materials, and children missed out on huge amounts of school. Many schools can still only open part-time due to a lack of staff and resources, teacher and student attendance has plummeted, and thousands of children are lagging behind or entirely disengaged from the school system.
ACHIEVEMENT: providing resources to improve the quality of education that kids receive (setting up community-led education centres; training parents and teachers in innovative teaching methodologies; equipping schools with technology) ATTENDANCE: providing incentives to stay in school (school meals for students and teachers; mentoring programmes to reduce dropout rates) ASPIRATIONS: facilitating opportunities beyond school (university scholarships; extracurricular courses like coding and design)
Improved educational achievement and attendance are not only linked to better employment and earnings outcomes, but also improved health, and reduced crime and poverty levels. Every child that receives a more complete education because of this project is a child that will be more likely to be able to provide for their family in the future, contribute to society and the economy, and ultimately do their part to improve the situation in Venezuela.
