When children grow up in the poorest neighborhoods with the lowest-performing schools, how can they break out of the cycle of poverty? This question arises again and again, in all corners of the world. In a community like Callao, an impoverished neighborhood of Lima, Peru, educational opportunities and social support is essential to allowing children to have a different future from that of their parents.
Coprodeli’s educational program works to address this and offers new avenues to children in need. As a part of my program visit to Peru, I went to see the work of this organization. While TFI is not providing grants to Coprodeli, their programs are still worth sharing! I saw the flagship model for Coprodeli’s 22 charter schools as well as one of their typical afterschool programs.
The school, Saint Miguel, is a beautiful education center in a neighborhood of ramshackle houses and corner bodegas. The children who attend school there are given a much better education than they might receive through other local schools. For example, English lessons begin at an early age, opening up greater possibilities for their futures. School hours are longer than at local schools, and meals are provided. The children there have achieved the highest test scores for their local area, and the impacts of this program are obvious. As this school goes above and beyond the norm, the costs are higher—which, for low-income families, can be difficult. At the San Miguel location, sponsorships are provided by a Lima-based business, but for the other schools, sponsorships for children in need are provided by generous individuals abroad. There are always more children in need of sponsorships for a chance at a better future.
If you are interested in supporting a child, check this out.
I also was able to visit an after-school center, another of the major programs through Coprodeli’s educational arm. The goal of this center is to provide support to children not studying at a Coprodeli school. Public schools in Peru let out between noon and 2:00pm, meaning children have an entire afternoon of possibilities. Many of these children come from the roughest of backgrounds, with broken homes or absent parents. For those in greatest need, an emotional system is provided, with daily group sessions for around 30 students. In total, there are around 150 students attending the programs, receiving tutoring and organized study time as well as supervised sports and arts activities. This helps children to stay focused and to have a positive environment, even if their home lives are lacking. This program requires a minimal fee to help cover the cost of food and materials, but is usually not a hardship on the families.
If you are interested in donating to support the afterschool program, please see here.
The Coprodeli program is well-developed and carefully structured and I was impressed by the breadth of their scope. If you are interested in volunteering with Coprodeli, please see this page.