SCHOOL AND EDUCATION
There are numerous educational and professional training activities promoted by the Secretariat of the Claretian Missions ONLUS including:
Educational Centres
There are educational centres in different geographical areas of Brazil, in the Philippines, Indonesia and India. They are daytime care spaces, in which pedagogical guidance, food and health assistance are offered to children and at the same time parents are allowed to have a job and do it with peace of mind knowing that their children are adequately cared for, assisted and educated. This support for the most disadvantaged families is of great importance who, in addition to the educational factor, are protected from the violence and dangers that loom on the streets every day.
These centres are suitable places for the growth of children from one to five years of age and are of fundamental importance for their physical, mental and cultural development and for their human formation as well as facilitating the necessary profit and the desired success in school.
GROWING AND BEING - GUARATUBA - BRAZIL
In this coastal city in Brazil, the majority of families make their living from fishing, serving tourists as street vendors, cleaning ladies, workers, bricklayers and recyclable waste collectors. The “Growing and Being” educational project is implemented through education, assistance and support for children from the most needy families; it offers training and education to children between 10 and 15 years of age, who attend public school in the morning and attend the Centre in the afternoons. It is part of their program, activities that help prepare their future according to their skills and talents. They learn to play, dance and practice various sports such as football, handball and “capoeira”.
MSGR. GERALDO CHILDREN’S CENTRE - AMADEO - PHILIPINES
It is a kindergarten that conducts 3 levels of education: the Junior Nursery (3 years), Senior Nursery (4 years) and Kindergarten (5 years). It is a pedagogical system that mixes the traditional and modern approach using an integrated education method. The school starts to introduce children of families living on the poverty line into the formal education system, mostly irregular workers or unemployed. In addition to the lessons that take place in the morning and afternoon, from Monday to Friday, meals and snacks are provided as an integral part of the development process of each child. Their families are oriented and helped to find work to support themselves with dignity.
HOPE PROJECT - NOVA XAVANTIVA - BRAZIL
The majority of the children of Nova Xavantina, despite attending state school, experience a large incidence of illiteracy. Many families are unable to support the continuity of their children’s studies. In this environment, the children, after school, remain alone, subjected to the consequences of poverty, drugs and violence. To respond to this challenge, the “Hope Project” was initiated, it is an after-school program, where children have the opportunity to carry out their schoolwork guided by qualified teachers. Courses in computer science, English, dance, music and crafts are also offered.
ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS WOMEN CENTRE - ABIDJAN - IVORY COAST
In many developing countries, young women are often forced to fight against severe inequality and to overcome the conditions of violence, social hardship and cultural ignorance. Starting training courses is the most appropriate solution to improve their condition and ensure a more dignified life. The Derrière Warf neighbourhood in Abidjan is mainly made up of slums. The majority of the population, especially the young, live in personal or family situations of considerable disadvantage and extreme poverty. The St. Therese of the Child Jesus Women Centre welcomes about 150 girls each year, to whom it offers: human, Christian, professional and literacy training, allowing them to obtain a professional diploma and economic emancipation through micro-credit projects.
PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG WOMEN OF RURAL ORIGIN - MUIANE - MOZAMBIQUE
As Mozambique is one of the poorest nations on the African continent, the population of Muiane daily faces the difficulties inherent of those who live in a place where there is no electricity, basic health, asphalt, market for expenses; where you eat what the earth produces, where there is no work, health is precarious; where there is still no hospital and the doctor is present only in a health centre and a few nursing technicians attending a population of 10,000 inhabitants. One of the most serious situations observed in this region of Mozambique is that of education which, in addition of not being of good quality, allows school only up to the 10th grade, while students still need two years to complete their basic study. This situation becomes more serious when we think of the girls of the rural area who do not have many prospects for their life other than that of early marriage and of working to support their families, especially their children. Trying to help young people overcome their poverty, the Project offers the possibility of continuing their studies in the city of Nampula, 140 kilometres from their village. In a serene and suitable environment, the girls are welcomed, helped to complete their fundamental study and to enter in the work force.
TUTORIAL AFTER SCHOOL SUPPORT - KOONAMMAVU - INDIA
In Kerala, free public schools have classes with a number of children that can reach up to 90. It becomes difficult for teachers, in these conditions, to properly follow the children. Poor families are unable to pay their children’s supplementary tuition fees. The “Tutorial After School” project works to bridge this gap. Thanks to the support of benefactors, children and young people are able to overcome their limits and face the further degrees of schooling.
