The School of our Dreams

In times of global turmoil this project report feels like a message of hope and strength to you, to us, to the GlobalGiving team and to all the children who are being affected by the crisis.

The last time we wrote was December and we were excited to tell you about the new construction project that was about to start. Well, it is now a reality! We have a second floor with three new classrooms that can turn into an auditorium and an improved kindergarten space. Thanks to this we grew 45 students this year, welcoming 174 children enrolled in the school in grades K-5. 

On February 1st we started classes with many new projects going on: music lessons, afterschool program, the inauguration of the computer lab and new partnerships for the wellbeing of our students. We share here some pictures of the different things we were able to do in this month-and-a-half period. Unfortunately last Friday we had the announcement from the government of Colombia that children wouldn’t be allowed to return to school until April 20th for now, and the possibility of extending that period if the situation worsens.(?)

We had heard before similar news from Europe and the United States but it hit us so fast it is surreal. This week the staff met and launched a plan to help children study from home. Since the population we serve is not highly trained in technology skills, we are using free, easy to use platforms that everybody knows: WhatsApp, Facebook, Youtube. Our teachers work hard everyday to plan the activities that children will do day by day and share it via WhatsApp. We also offer parents the chance to stop by the school to pick up a printed copy since most of them don’t have a computer or printer at home. By the end of the week we will send books from the library home so they can read individually for the next month. 

In the midst of it all we thank our children are safe, with loving families. We thank our teachers are healthy and that we live in a country with enough fruit and vegetables to keep us strong. We thank that in times of crisis there is always time to reinvent, discover, create… and get ready for go time later. We thank that this is forcing us to finally admit that technology is out there to help our teaching and expand children’s knowledge. We thank for the fathers, mothers and grandparents who have now the chance to become teachers. 

We would like to also announce that the Little by Little campaign starts next week! It is a great opportunity to maximize donations from unique donors and new monthly donations:

• All eligible donations up to $50 per unique donor per organization will be matched at 50%
• New monthly donations set up during this week will be eligible for both matches: the immediate 50% Little by Little match (up to $50) and, as long as the donation remains active for a minimum of four payments, the 100% monthly match (up to $200) https://www.globalgiving.org/march-2020-little-by-little-terms/

Can you please help us share the news and bring more people to support us, especially now that we need support to cover operational costs and keep creating strategies to help students learn from home.

We send you all our love and prayers.

Sincerely,

Lilibeydy Manrique

School director

Links:

• Recreation and sports day at partner school
• Teacher Lily teaching kindergarten through Youtube