The Yapacaní sponsor site staff team needed to address poor school performance since the pandemic. They recognize that all students can learn skills and build emotional resilience to achieve higher in the classroom.
The team therefore created a 30-month, five-part project and program to give students robust, professional support for their studies and build better practical learning skills. Their central goal is to see both sponsored and unsponsored students receive quality, relevant, and prompt care, so that they will both stay in school and improve their grades.
Part 1: Individualized support for students’ academic skills and cognitive abilities. Staff will select 300 sponsored and non-sponsored children, aged six to ten, to take the program over two school years (150 per year). Those students will take support classes that will use psychological principles to help them overcome their specific learning challenges. They will check-in at the midway point and at the end of each school term to see the students’ progress.
Part 2: Build and furnish classrooms. The site will build two classrooms, one with a refreshment kitchenette. They will also build a washroom block for students and guests and renovate a meeting room for staff and parents. The site will ensure the spaces are furnished and equipped with technology.
Part 3: Work with parents to provide nutritious snacks. To ensure the children are focused and fueled, staff will select parents and support them to start food-preparation/vending businesses. Staff will train the selected entrepreneurs and ensure they are running well (i.e., that they are following health regulations for ingredients, packaging, etc.) These parent enterprises will be the snack suppliers for the after-school program.
Part 4: Creating continuity between school and home. Staff will offer workshops and one-on-one sessions for parents, so that they can keep up the positive momentum their students are achieving in the program. They will ask parents to sign letters of commitment to be collaborative partners in their children’s education.
Part 5: Connecting teachers. The Yapacaní staff will involve the students’ schoolteachers, so that they can better understand their students’ unique learning challenges and strengths. They will also arrange for the teachers to host workshops for the parents, further equipping the parents to be their child’s champion for education. Site staff will do follow-up visits with children in their schools.
Their total budget of $335,928.85 CAD includes the classroom construction, professional fees, snacks, two laptops and colour printers, 36 age-appropriate desks and chairs, TV monitor, amplifier, games and toys (playhouse, puzzles).
Program Location: Yapacaní, Bolivia
Program Code: CP-BYY1122
Budget in Canadian Funds: $335,928.85 CAD
DONATEPlease note that any donations that exceed the request will be used to fund other community projects that may arise.