Kids to Kids recently took a trip to El Salvador to meet with Peace Corps Volunteers whose projects we have supported and to film a short movie about Kids to Kids.  On previous Kids to Kids trips we have only been able to see a limited number of Peace Corps Volunteers and projects, but on this trip we got to meet with a lot of them!  It’s always a completely different experience reading the grant proposals and voting for projects back at home, then actually seeing them in action.  There were so many unexpected and amazing outcomes resulting from the projects that I could have never anticipated.  For example, we visited a community called La Palma where we supported three projects: a marimba class, a choir, and an artisan project.  I found the marimba class especially exciting because we learned that the marimba is actually a major cultural instrument in El Salvador; many families have them in their homes, though none of them knew how to play until the marimba classes. The classes will allow the instrument to continue to be played in the town for years to come. The kids can now be a part of their cultural history!

Another one of the projects in La Palma is an artisan business in which the kids are taught to paint objects in the creative style unique to this community.  They are first taught the technique and can then be hired and paid to do this work.  This project is particularly beneficial to the kids participating because it allows them to generate an income for their family while also partaking in the arts.

Probably the most inspiring aspect of the trip was talking to the Peace Corps Volunteers, both in their communities and at the Peace Corps office in San Salvador.  People in the United States often don’t see $500 as a significant amount of money, but the creativity the volunteers and community leaders utilized to come up with these projects and make them sustainable is incredible to me. One volunteer used her grant to take three girls to a conference in San Salvador.  When we visited her town, one of the girls and her mother invited us to their home to thank us.  The girl talked about how excited she was to go into the city and meet other girls from around the country; she spoke enthusiastically about traveling to a new place and learning new things.  Equally as impressive is her mother who is one of the few in the town allowing her daughter to leave home for three whole nights. This girl, her mother, and the Peace Corps Volunteer were so extraordinary to me. They demonstrated that Kids to Kids is such an important way to get resources on the ground in the form of projects, and this girl took advantage of it in such a beautiful and inspiring way.

The more I learn about the people Kids to Kids is empowering: the Peace Corps Volunteers, the kids, their families, and their communities, the more I am inspired to expand and improve the program.  El Salvador is an enchantingly beautiful country, the natural beauty of the setting and people blew me away; but it is an equally tough place with increasing gang violence and astounding poverty—the country itself is a paradox.  Nevertheless it is incredibly motivating to see the impact Kids to Kids is having on the ground—the boy who didn’t know he could utilize his singing ability is now singing in the national choir, the girl who had never been outside of her town is able to attend a conference in the city, and the Peace Corps Volunteers are seeing their dreams for these communities put into action.

09/03/10 - *This is the fifth blog in a series documenting a recent trip to visit Kids to Kids projects in Costa Rica by Patrick, Kids to Kids Program Coordinator.

About San Marcos de Cutris

San Marcos de Cutris is a small, rural town in the Northern Zone of Costa Rica with a population of about 400 people. Located 30 kilometers down a long, winding dirt road, San Marcos is unmistakably an agricultural community.

Just about everyone who lives in San Marcos or any of the other small towns along the long, dirt road works on a farm. There are several GIANT pineapple plantations in the area, and many of the pineapples grown on these plantations end up in American grocery stores. There are also a good number of small farms that produce crops for local markets and for export.

Statistically, the Northern Zone is one of the most marginalized and impoverished regions of Costa Rica. There are very few opportunities for children to participate in programs or activities outside of the very short school days. Days are long and hot. Kids are usually either at home doing chores after school or hanging out in the streets.

The Project

In the December 2009 grant cycle, Kids to Kids supported an innovative project designed by a Peace Corps Volunteer based in San Marcos de Cutris and a Community Leader from another small town in the Northern Zone. The idea for the project was to bring 100 kids from various communities in the impoverished Northern Zone together for an Arte por la Paz regional conference. With support from Kids to Kids, they hosted the conference in the historic town of La Fortuna, site of the world famous and still active Arenal Volcano (pictured).

Arte por la Paz (Art for Peace) began in March 2003 by a group of artists in Costa Rica. It uses poetry, painting, drawing, singing, theatre and other types of art to promote peace and nonviolence to youth. The goal of Arte por la Paz is to foster creativity and better communication skills in youth in order for them to better address the violence that they experience at home, school and in the community. This is done through various art projects on themes such as domestic violence, anger management, and self-esteem. The regional conference was an opportunity to bring a diverse group of kids together to share what they have learned through participation in Arte por la Paz groups in their own communities!

Quote from the organizing Peace Corps Volunteer, “The project was the first time for most of the children to get out of their community and see a new place.  We chose the location of La Fortuna because it would be a special treat for the kids to be up close to one of Costa Rica’s most famous volcanoes. It was a once in a lifetime experience for these 100 kids.”

From the Kids to Kids Program Coordinator

This project is one word: inspiring. There are a couple of things that I love about this Kids to Kids project. First, how cool is it to be able to bring together a group of kids from various underserved and impoverished communities for a kid conference in the shadow of the most famous and still active volcano in the country? None of the kids at the regional conference had ever been to the volcano; the vast majority of them had never even left their small communities!

Second, I LOVE this type of Kids to Kids project that brings together kids from different communities. It’s an amazing opportunity for kids to share, learn, and identify with other kids who may be facing similar challenges or working to solve similar problems.

Finally, being in San Marcos de Cutris, which was one of the communities able to send kids to the conference because of the support of Kids to Kids, I was able to see the impact that the project on kids’ lives firsthand. In particular, there were two OUTSTANDING young girls who participated in the Arte por la Paz Regional Conference and came back inspired to be leaders in San Marcos. They founded a one of a kind recycling program in the community and became passionate and well-spoken advocates for their program. I learned from the girls that they now go house to house in the community collecting recyclables and educating people on why it’s important to recycle and protect the environment. In a community where there has been little environmental consciousness in the past, the youth now collect 15 different types of recyclable materials!!

To see more pictures of Kids to Kids impact in Caribe, become a fan of Kids to Kids on Facebook and visit our photo albums. To support more Kids to Kids projects like these, please make a donation to the Kids to Kids All-Kids Fund here.

Fortunately for all involved, JJ leapt at the opportunity to put his skills to good use by traveling to and living in one of the most under-served and under-resourced parts of Haiti. The community of Lafond is found in the small village of Les Palmes in the mountains high above the city of Petit Goave in Haiti’s Western Department about 42 miles southwest of Port au Prince.  While in Lafond, JJ served also served as the foreman for the successful World Leadership School faculty service trip designed to support the Lafond community with a particular focus on school reconstruction efforts.

This is an area that did not receive much of the attention given to larger and more accessible urban areas, yet here in this small village 100% of the homes were either damaged or completely destroyed by the earthquake.  The school, which has been operating in tents, is lifeline for the community of Lafond serving as a communal meeting space, a health outpost where children are immunized and a reliable location where children can receive a nutritious meal - - all of this in additional to being the only place children of this community can go receive a free education.

The ground has been leveled and foundation poured.  The durable walls are going up and the community is rallying around this school to have its first four classrooms sponsored by a World Connect Haiti Relief Grant ready for school in fall.  Thanks, JJ, for your ongoing support!

Following are some inspirational thoughts from JJ based on his experience:

We went to Lafond to build a school.

We found all the buildings damaged, and we found people whose lives are hard but smiles are easy.  In Lafond, arguments always seem to end with laughter.

Many of the children would rather eat crackers on a hot afternoon than have a cold drink.

Water is in short supply in Lafond, as is food.

The women who carry buckets of water on their heads are more sure footed in their flip-flops on the slippery red soil, than I am in my Italian hiking boots.

We all dug foundations.  They watched me, fascinated by every detail, as I fumbled with the transit and plumb bob, and were horrified when I got sunburned.  They gave me a brand new hat.  They wear a lot of hand me downs from charity boxes.

I watched as they moved truckloads of earth on their heads.  Sometimes Madame Joseph paused to nurse her baby.

In Lafond, people sometimes spontaneously start dancing and singing while they work.

After construction work ended at 2pm, they maybe had their big meal of the day and then worked on planting the summer’s beans, their most important cash crop.  Unfortunately, everyone else is planting the summer’s bean crop too, and it’s hurricane season.  Hurricanes sometimes destroy the crop.  There is very little cash in Lafond.

Wood is scarce, or it should be.

Wood for burning, wood for building.  Wood ravaged by insects holds up what’s left of the houses.  The old way of building won’t do, for so many reasons, but we still council those who ask to add some diagonal bracing to their rotting framing.  Even the concrete is compromised by the local greasy brittle rocks that go into it.

In Lafond, the earthquake shook apart almost all of the buildings.  People rebuilt with what was left.  A hurricane will flatten almost all of that too.

So we built in a way that is quite standard in the United States, but a bit alien in Haiti.  Eight inch block, difficult to find, practically unheard of, reinforced with grout and half inch rebar, strong, well anchored into the earth.  Seismic resistant construction, easy to understand, complete with anchor bolts to hold the roof down in a strong wind.  A method perhaps too expensive for their houses, but they paid close attention anyway.

People in Lafond adapt and make the most of what they’ve got.

Together we are constructing a pair of two classroom buildings.  They will be the only buildings in the area that can withstand most earthquakes and hurricanes.  They should last for generations.

We went to Lafond and got an education.

Photo: Bertin Meance, the Lafond Project Coordinator and Architect Joseph “JJ” Jenkins

8/26/10

We are excited to announce that things are moving along incredibly well. When we recently heard from the Peace Corps Volunteer on site she reported that the women’s group “is an incredibly motivated group of women who have taken full ownership of the project, they work whether or not I am there, which is really exciting.” Not only is it exciting to hear that they are working independently of the Peace Corps Volunteer, but more importantly the women feel ownership of the project. This is the ultimate goal and what World Connect Grants is trying to accomplish; empower local leader to solve local challenges!!!

Up until this point, the women have been hard at work preparing a building lot, buying and recruiting materials, and making a compost pile. Before getting started, the women decided to move the building site from the original one that they had in mind as it proved to be hard to access, at high risk of flooding and far from the women’s homes.  They worked hard to find a better option and identified an empty lot owned by a woman who has agreed to let the group use it for free for six months and then at a rate of $20 a month thereafter.  The women will pay an additional fee to the town so that they can utilize the water on site.  The group is thrilled with the new location. They are confident that it is the perfect spot, especially since two of the group’s members live next to the lot and will be able to keep a close eye on the daily progress of the greenhouse and nursery.

In the spirit of partnership, Del Monte Pineapple Company has made an unprecedented contribution to this project.  The company leveled out the lot and donated bamboo posts for the construction of the greenhouse. The women then went immediately to work; chopping down the old fence and putting up a new one, and cleaning other parts of the lot unreachable by the machinery. They also made trips to a local wood processing plant which gave them unwanted slats that the women then used to construct compost boxes. We are impressed with their creativity and drive and are delighted with all the community support!

The next major talk was making the compost pile.  First, the women collected the ingredients:  leaves (both dried and green), cow and chicken manure, suero (the liquid leftover from making cheese), rice shells and molasses.  Next, they layered the ingredients, covered the compost for a month, turned it, covered it again, and waited until it turned into beautiful, rich brown dirt. The women also constructed the rancho that covers the compost to keep it dry. This task involved clearing the land, cutting bamboo posts, covering it with plastic, and finally digging a drainage ditch around the outside.

We are impressed with the resourcefulness of the women and their ability to make their project a community effort. Fore example, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has been very helpful in answering questions and guiding the women along the way. Additionally, a community member who previously built a greenhouse on his personal property, with the guidance from the Ministry, has been a tremedous help in advising the women through the technical building process.

All of their work thus far has led up to this pivotal week when the women will begin construction on the actual greenhouse. The project has improved the morale of the participating women and their children, who love to come and help on the days their mothers are working.  Best of all, the women are having a great time - they laugh and joke and enjoy each others company. They are gaining skills, confidence, and pride in themselves, not to mention becoming business owners!!!

We at World Connect are thrilled to hear how the project is moving along thus far. We are incredibly impressed how the project has catalyzed support from so many different community stakeholders. But most importantly we are delighted that the women (and their children) are having a fun time along the way, while paving the road to a better future for their families.  We could not be more proud of the women’s group, the Peace Corps Volunteer on site, and the entire Volcan community. Keep up the good work and we’ll continue to update you as we learn more.

Map courtesy of wordtravels.com

Photos courtesy of Peace Corps Volunteer

The fourth blog of our Pura Vida! Blog Series on Caribe de Cariari is so chock full of information and videos that we needed to give it its own webpage. Click here to read and watch.

Let us know what you think. Post comments here or send us an email! ]]> http://www.worldconnect-us.org/blog/kids-to-kids-in-costa-rica-part-four/feed/ http://www.worldconnect-us.org/blog/rural-maternity-improvements-in-mali/ http://www.worldconnect-us.org/blog/rural-maternity-improvements-in-mali/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:00:36 +0000 jcaglia http://www.worldconnect-us.org/blog/?p=611

8/18/2010 - This past Spring, World Connect supported its first projects in Mali! Community Leaders and Peace Corps Volunteers across Mali were awarded grants as part of our World Connect Grants Program. Today, we want to share with you the success of one of those projects.

The Rural Maternity Improvements project in Kati, Mali is enabling a rural community health center to improve conditions for labor and delivery. This project will make the health center’s maternity ward a more inviting, safer and cleaner place to give birth. It will also improve access to health care services for mothers and their newborns.

The health center is located in Dombila, a rural community in the town of Kati within the province of Koulikoro. There are approximately 375 women of childbearing age in Dombila. Most of these women insist on home deliveries; increasing their risk of complications, infections and other negative health outcomes. According to the women of Dombila, they currently choose not to deliver at the health center because they do not feel at home in the aging facilities with rickety delivery tables, sporadic electricity, no running water, and none of the comforts of home. Condistions in Dombila reflect the national profile in Mali where less than 50% of births are attended by skilled health personnel (1); a major contributing factor to the country’s high number of maternal deaths. Through this World Connect Grants project, Community Leaders are seeking to reverse these dangerous trends through this project. By promoting pride, ownership and quality health services in the maternity ward in their community, these leaders hope to increase the number of deliveries attended at the center and, in turn, decrease maternal and newborn death, injury, and disease.

The ASACO of Dombila, a community health committee in the region, is partnered with World Connect to improve the center and make it more accessible for pregnant women, mothers and their infants. The health center is staffed by a skilled and motivated team of health care professionals; however, providing high quality pre and postnatal care in this impoverished setting with limited resources is extremely challenging. The ASACO and maternity ward staff have been working to improve the rural health system by organizing volunteer community health workers, managing equipment, finances and human resources, and launching community health promotion activities.

With support from a World Connect Grant, the ASACO and the maternity staff are applying several simple solutions to provide a better environment in which the women of Dombila can deliver their babies. They are purchasing new, high quality birthing tables and installing an additional solar panel at the center. This solar panel will provide additional power to pump running water into the center’s sinks and prevent blackouts. The project will also provide the women of Dombila with resources to decorate the maternity ward to make the space their own. The ASACO will also organize community education activities about the importance of giving birth in a health center. Pregnant women, mothers, newborns, and maternity staff will all benefit from the improved maternity facility and improved access to health services.

In a recent dispatch from the field, the Peace Corps Volunteer on site reported that a crew is currently installing the new solar panels:

“The whole village is really excited. Word is getting out that pretty soon, if you come give birth at the maternity, you don’t have to do it by a dim lamp light.”

Additionally, the company installing the solar panel gave the center several options to improve running water in the maternity ward. Community Leaders decided to provide additional funding from their savings in order to also install a solar-heated baby bath, bringing the community contribution on this project to nearly 45%! This system pumps water and then sanitizes and heats it to an ideal temperature to wash newborns. At the center, newborns are typically washed every six hours to keep them free from infection. Preparing these baths involves family members of the new mother and newborn hauling water from the well and firewood from the brush to the center, multiple times a day. The new solar-heated baby bath system will eliminate this heavy lifting by providing a warm, sanitary place for cleaning newborns right at the center.

With these additional contributions from the community, this World Connect Grants project is having a greater impact than we could have imagined. We are honored to support the people of Mali through this project and look forward to reporting the final results.

(1) UNICEF, 2003-2008. Mali DHS and WHO.

Map & Flag of Mali - courtesy of travel.state.gov

About Copey de Dota

Copey de Dota is a quiet, tiny town located WAY on the top of a mountain in the breathtaking region of central Costa Rica. Far removed from anything resembling a big city, only one bus infrequently makes its way up and down the mountain to and from Copey. Kids from Copey have to ride this bus down the mountain to get to the nearest high school, which makes finishing school a big challenge for youth in Copey. Jobs are similarly hard to come by, with most teens and adults needing to travel down to larger towns or to one of the region’s coffee farms for work.

Because of the town’s isolation, there is a lack of fun activities for youth. Aside from the one large pley (soccer field) in the middle of town, afterschool activities are almost non-existent in Copey. There are no art programs in the local schools and limited ways for youth to express their creativity.

Despite these difficult circumstances, there are dedicated Community Leaders working hard to create positive change in Copey. With these leaders and the local Peace Corps Volunteer, World Connect was able to make a major impact in Copey through the Kids to Kids project “Arte por la Paz”.

The Project

Arte por la Paz (Art for Peace) is a dynamic Kids to Kids project that explored themes of peace and non-violence, both locally and globally, through various art forms such as painting, photography, mosaic, theater and dance. The project took place over a three-month period and consisted of three main parts. First, there was a weekly Art for Peace workshop series where the kids participated in team-building exercises and explored many different art forms often for the first time. The second part of the project, a community mural, allowed the kids to put into practice the team building and artistic lessons learned from the workshop series. They drew a mural design, transferred their design to a public space in the town center, and painted an AMAZING mural that caught the attention of national media in Costa Rica!! [To read more about the national media attention this project received, click here.] Finally, thanks to the Kids to Kids Grant Award, the kids were also able to travel outside of Copey to a regional Art for Peace conference. At the conference they met other groups of inspiring kids from many different parts of Costa Rica, and worked collaboratively not just to learn more about peace and nonviolence, but to learn how they could spread it throughout their own communities. At the end of the conference, this dynamic group of young leaders from Copey won a prize for best dance!

Video: In the words of the Peace Corps Volunteer

Check out a quick video of the Peace Corps Volunteer discussing the impact of Kids to Kids on Copey.

VIDEO: In her own words

From the Kids to Kids Program Coordinator

“One thing that was so clear to me on this trip to Costa Rica was that Kids to Kids Members have a knack for approving awesome projects in high-need communities. My visit to Copey de Dota was a fantastic example of this. The community is WAY off the beaten path. First you have to drive down, down, down one mountain into a beautiful green valley, and then you have to drive up, up, up to the top of another mountain to arrive in Copey. The road leading up to Copey winds back and forth around these steep hairpin turns; it feels like you’re driving right up into the clouds. It’s hard to imagine anyone being able to make that trip very often, and shocking to know that so many kids make the trip every day by bus just to go to high school.

I spent a lot of time just walking around the town with the Peace Corps Volunteer, learning about the different projects that she had been working on and learning about the challenges that youth face in Copey. It’s a sleepy little town where kids have to work hard for the opportunity to get an education. But it’s towns like Copey where Kids to Kids can have an AMAZING impact by providing the support for fun, creative and unique projects. We visited the homes of some of the kids who participated in the Kids to Kids project, and I heard from them first-hand about how important the project was for their community and for their lives. They also showed me squares of a cool peace quilt that they had been working on in their most recent Art for Peace meeting! All in all, Copey de Dota was a powerful example of just why Kids to Kids is so important.”

Copey de Dota Moving Forward

The Community Leaders and Peace Corps Volunteer in Copey de Dota remain super committed to providing creative, fun and educational opportunities for local youth. As part of the March 2010 Kids to Kids grant cycle, Kids to Kids Members approved a second Grant Award for a new project in Copey entitled “Camp COCO” (Chicas Orgullosas Creando Opportunidades – Proud Girls Creating Opportunities). This project will provide girls from Copey and a neighboring town with their first opportunity to participate in a summer camp! At Camp COCO, the girls will participate in art projects, play games, learn about nature and the environment, learn about leadership and teamwork, and design community service projects to be carried out in their communities. World Connect is proud to continue supporting the youth of Copey de Dota through the Kids to Kids program!

To see more pictures of Kids to Kids impact in Copey de Dota, become a fan of Kids to Kids on Facebook and visit our photo albums. To support more Kids to Kids projects like these, please make a donation to the Kids to Kids All-Kids Fund here.

8/10/2010 - World Connect funded the Rabbits for Health project in Karambo, Rwanda during its first grant cycle for the World Connect Grants Program this past Spring.  The Karambo Health Center and the Access Project will use their WCG grant award to supplement health services with a community rabbit farm and nutrition program. This project will improve nutrition in a community of over 2,000 households, specifically targeting malnourished children under the age of five.

We recently received an update from the Peace Corps Volunteer and Community Leader managing this project. They are in the process of securing a contractor to draw blue prints and start construction for the farm. Additionally, the Health Center staff is creating an electronic database of all children in the malnutrition program. They are working now to spread the word to mothers and children in the community on the importance of the good nutrition that will be further introduced and reinforced by the Rabbits for Health project.

We are thrilled with the progress that they are making and look forward to sharing further updates.

Photos - courtesy of Peace Corps Volunteer

Map of Rwanda - courtesy of travel.state.gov

8/9/2010

There are several key changes this grant cycle, stemming from prior applicant feedback and our desire to further focus the WCG project type while expanding our reach.  We have narrowed our focus to solely health-related projects including the following categories: Health Education, Nutrition, Reproductive Health, Health Services and HIV/AIDS Prevention.  Additionally, we have expanded our reach to a total of 10 countries: Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mali, Morocco, Peru, the Phillipines, and Rwanda.

We will review, approve and fund another group of projects this Fall with grant awards up to $2,500 for each project. Interested Community Organizations in our target countries can submit grant applications in partnership with Peace Corps Volunteers. Application materials, including Eligibility Requirements, can be downloaded here.  Applications are due by September 27, 2010.

We are thrilled to see what the next round brings!

The Project

In the December 2009 grant cycle, World Connect’s Kids to Kids program supported a project in Quebradas, a small community in Southern Costa Rica. The project, Talleres Ambientalistas Quebradas (Quebradas Environmentalists’ Workshops), was a week-long environmental education camp that took place at the Quebradas Biological Center. Located about a 30-minute drive up into an elevated region of cloud forest, the majority of Quebradas’ youth had never before visited the Center. Supported by a Kids to Kids Grant Award, 35 kids ages 6-18 traveled to the Center every day and participated in workshops about caring for the environment, focused on environmental themes such as water, animals, trees, air, energy and waste. They also participated in fun activities to reinforce the themes such as forest scavenger hunts, art projects and musical performances led by Community Leaders and the local Peace Corps Volunteer. Families were even invited up to the Center on the last night for a closing campfire and celebration where kids shared stories about what they had learned and the community celebrated its commitment to environmental leadership.

Just one of many fun stories about the project…

On the third day of the camp, each team had to perform a set of challenges, one of which was crawling through a mud bath to complete an obstacle course. Helen, a girl whose parents are very protective and was almost not allowed to come to the camp, was very hesitant to get dirty at first, but she ultimately went for it choosing to not let down her team, and she couldn’t get enough of it afterwards! She was giving muddy hugs to everyone who would accept one, and the next night at the campfire her parents said she couldn’t stop talking about how much fun she was having at the camp!

About Quebradas

Quebradas is a small town but it plays a crucial role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the surrounding region. The town is named after the Quebradas River and located in the Upper Quebradas River Basin. Water that originates in the Upper Quebradas River Basin flows down into the nearby cities and towns and supplies water for over 90,000 people. Residents of Quebradas take great pride in being “ambientalista” (environmentalists), and they recognize that their community is positioned to play an important role in protecting the regional water supply from pollution and erosion.

Unfortunately, there are few resources available for the community to support any type of creative educational projects for youth, which means kids in Quebradas have missed out on important opportunities to learn how to protect the local environment . For example, the Quebradas Biological Center is the main source of environmental education for the community, but few families can afford the transportation costs to send their kids up to take advantage of the Center. Through Kids to Kids, World Connect was able to support local community leaders’ amazing efforts to educate youth about the beauty and importance of the local environment and to train the next generation of environmental leaders in Quebradas.

From the Kids to Kids Program Coordinator

“What a cool Kids to Kids project. The community leaders and the Peace Corps Volunteer were dynamic and genuinely committed to training future environmental leaders. The Quebradas Biological Center is an amazing location for a hands-on environmental camp, where kids can not only learn about local flora and fauna but see it, touch it, feel it, and learn how to protect it.

“But what stood out to me most about this Kids to Kids project was the ripple effect. By all accounts the camp was fantastic, and the kids had a fun, educational experience that is going to impact their lives for many years to come. But the success of the camp impacted so much more than just the kids of Quebradas. Families raved about the campfire and celebration on the last night of the camp and parents were more than justgrateful, they were inspired. Immediately after the camp, a group of local parents decided that they wanted to sustain the impact of the Kids to Kids project by creating a local chapter of Guias y Scouts (Boys and Girls Scouts). They organized more parents and more kids to participate, and one week after my visit they officially launched the group at a town festival!”

Quebradas Moving Forward

World Connect is excited to announce its continued investment in the youth of Quebradas through another Kids to Kids project! As part of our June 2010 grant cycle, Kids to Kids Members approved the project Amigos del Ambiente Quebradas (Quebradas Friends of the Environment). The project will allow the Quebradas School to integrate creative environmental education through an organic school garden and a school-based community recycling program!

To see more pictures of Kids to Kids projects in Quebradas, become a fan of Kids to Kids on Facebook and visit our photo albums. To support more Kids to Kids projects like these, please make a donation to the Kids to Kids All-Kids Fund here.