Julie DeVoe
913-707-5683
jdevoe@children.org
Portland, OR (November 7, 2019) — Child Aid, a literacy nonprofit, and Children International, a global humanitarian organization, today announced a joint initiative aimed at improving access to quality education for underserved children in Guatemala.
The Educational Strengthening Initiative will kick off in January 2020 in a school in the municipality of Santa Apolonia in Chimaltenango (south central), Guatemala. The four-year program brings Child Aid’s proven literacy program into a school where Children International sponsors many of the students. If successful, the pilot program will demonstrate how combining intense teacher training and a strong curriculum focused on individualized care of students can help boost academic achievement.
Both Child Aid and Children International are interested in the education of children, and this partnership highlights the strengths of both organizations. Children International gives children in vulnerable communities access to programs focused on health, education (including tutoring) and empowerment as they work to overcome the generational cycle of poverty. Child Aid’s literacy program focuses on the progress and abilities of teachers in the classroom, ensuring students receive a quality learning experience. Together, the organizations will launch the Educational Strengthening Initiative to make a superior education more accessible to students in the program.
“We envision our staffs working together to create opportunities that will improve the educational impact on these at-risk students more broadly than either of our organizations could do alone,” Child Aid CEO Nancy Press said.
The pilot program will train more than 26 teachers and 20 Children International tutors, impacting more than 600 children in 2020. Teachers will receive individualized coaching, and students will benefit from integrated holistic programs. Child Aid brings a proven ability to measure the efficacy of the Educational Strengthening Initiative, an important component of any pilot program hoping to scale beyond this initial first step.
“We are eager to partner with Child Aid to help address school quality, one of the largest barriers in education,” said Susana Eshleman, president and CEO, Children International. “The track record of Child Aid’s teacher training combined with Children International’s longevity in Guatemalan communities make for an ideal match. Together, we can help children and teachers in their quest to bring about sustainable change in Guatemala.”
For more information about the Educational Strengthening Initiative and to arrange for media interviews or access to photos or video from the program, please contact Helyn Trickey Bradley, Child Aid public relations manager, at 404-384-4143.
About Child Aid (www.child-aid.org)
Child Aid is a Portland-based literacy nonprofit working to bring comprehensive teacher training and books to elementary-age children in some of the poorest communities in Guatemala. Our organization strives to have a substantial impact on improving primary school education in Guatemala, and to provide a model for similar work elsewhere in the world. Our program is certified nationally by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education’s department of Accreditation and Certification. To date, our organization has worked in 153 schools, reaching nearly 67,000 children with transformative education and literacy skills.
Children International, based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, is a global nonprofit that delivers child and youth development programming to break the cycle of generational poverty. Through a customized approach, Children International serves young people in Colombia, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, India, Guatemala, Mexico, the Philippines, Zambia and the United States for the first two decades of their lives. The organization provides access to health care, education, positive role models, and the life and job skills they need to become gainfully employed. When equipped to improve their own lives, young people also transform their families and communities, and, as a result, multiply good in the world. For more information, visit children.org.
Comments
You must be logged in to comment. If you have an account, click here to log in.