Education for 250 working children in Chiapas

by Melel Xojobal A.C.
Play Video
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas
Education for 250 working children in Chiapas

Project Report | Nov 12, 2012
Update - Education for Working Children in Chiapas

By Fionn O'Sullivan | Fund Raiser, Melel Xojobal

Talking with families about school enrollment
Talking with families about school enrollment

Se ha elaborado este informe en inglés ya que es la lengua de la mayoría de los donantes de Global Giving. Sin embargo, si quiere recibir este informe en español, por favor envíe un correo a melel@prodigy.net.mx

This first update aims to give you an idea of the project activities, and how your donations will help us continue to run these throughout the next 12 months.

In the last three months we worked with 23 families, explaining the procedures to enroll their children in school. A first step is to help them to obtain birth certificates, which are essential for enrollment but difficult to obtain for Mayan families whose first language is not Spanish, and who are often wary of, or unsure how to deal with officials. We also helped 15 children apply for scholarships which will cover the cost of books, uniforms and other charges.

A central focus of our work is not just getting working children into education, but providing them with the support that encourages them to learn and to stay in school. This is all important: indigenous children typically attend school for even less than the 6.2 years which is the average for Chiapas. Each week we run nine “learning circles”: two hour sessions which take place in the public squares and markets where many children work. 145 children attended in the last three months. These sessions focus on helping children to enjoy reading and writing, as well as to discuss issues that affect their lives and education (in this term for example: different forms of violence in school, what their rights are and what they can do about it).

The comment of an 11 year old girl who has been attending the learning circles: “I learned how to write a story, how not just to keep quiet, how to make a hat, how to get on with other boys and girls, to write and to imagine, and to learn about places in other countries”.

We continue to work in a difficult environment. In the last three weeks the municipal government has used the pretext of a land dispute on the edges of the city to expel street vendors from the city centre, many of whom are children. Melel Xojobal is against children working in unregulated and unprotected conditions, or when it prejudices their education. The reality though is that many families rely on their children’s earnings to pay for school costs and to buy food. Without this income, many children will simply have less to eat, and it will be even harder to get them into school or for them to learn properly if they do go. We are working with other organizations in the city to protest and to reverse the decision.

Sessions with children at the night market
Sessions with children at the night market
Working in the streets of San Cristobal
Working in the streets of San Cristobal
Some of the children we work with
Some of the children we work with
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.

Sign up for updates

Organization Information

Melel Xojobal A.C.

Location: San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas - Mexico
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @melelxojobal
Project Leader:
Ayelén Amigo
San Cristobal de Las Casas , Chiapas Mexico
$61,832 raised of $60,000 goal
 
1,518 donations
$0 to go
Donate Now
lock
Donating through GlobalGiving is safe, secure, and easy with many payment options to choose from. View other ways to donate

Melel Xojobal A.C. has earned this recognition on GlobalGiving:

Help raise money!

Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.

Start a Fundraiser

Learn more about GlobalGiving

Teenage Science Students
Vetting +
Due Diligence

Snorkeler
Our
Impact

Woman Holding a Gift Card
Give
Gift Cards

Young Girl with a Bicycle
GlobalGiving
Guarantee

Get incredible stories, promotions, and matching offers in your inbox

WARNING: Javascript is currently disabled or is not available in your browser. GlobalGiving makes extensive use of Javascript and will not function properly with Javascript disabled. Please enable Javascript and refresh this page.