Education, Livelihoods and Young Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean

This project is our first joint run project with our partner Mision Gaia in three rural schools in Minca, Magdalena. It aims to educate and motivate students and teachers to enhance their academic, professional and personal skills. It allows them to feel empowered, reach their goals and break the cycle of poverty that pervades the region.

The long period of isolation and shift to remote learning increased the education gap for children and young people in Colombia, especially in the Caribbean region. The Colombian government failed to deliver on its promise to increase connectivity and provide free Wi-Fi in rural areas. In the Magdalena department, almost 77% of the education institutions are in rural areas, where connectivity is from low to non-existent.

The project will support 500 children and young people living in poverty in the north of Colombia, including indigenous people of different ethnicities (Wiwa, Arhuacos, Kogui), Venezuelan refugee migrants and internally displaced people. Another part of the project will focus on vocational training for 120 young people, with an emphasis on environmental conservation and ecotourism. This will stimulate local employment and allow local populations to make the most of their biodiverse region.

In addition to this, we will support 30 teachers in local schools with training and support, to help them implement new methodologies and STEAM subjects. We will also help to improve their English skills, which will have a positive knock on effect on their students' English. There will be a strong focus on English learning, and we are going to pilot English lessons through a platform called “Immerse Me”. We will also explore the possibility of having online English practice sessions with English speaking volunteers from CCC.

Context:

Although the Colombian Constitution requires children aged 5-15 to attend school, in 2021 over 5 million school-aged children were not receiving any form of education. This is approximately 30% of all school-age children in the country. Whilst enrolment rates are often high, the most at-risk children face difficulties to remain in school. Only 54% of students who enrol in the first grade of primary school go on to complete their secondary education.

Compared to students in urban settings, children in rural Colombia are far more likely to drop out of school early. Currently, over 65% of 17-20 year olds living in rural areas have dropped out of the education system.

On average, children in rural areas receive less than 8.5 years of education, compared to nearly 11 in urban areas. Students living in rural areas also face challenges in accessing resources. According to a study by the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 80% of rural schools do not have access to the internet, and over 18% do not have electricity, meaning they cannot receive the same quality of education as their peers in urban schools.