Education can transform a child’s life. 60% of Brazilians do not have an education beyond 4th grade. In the favela where Community in Action is located this number reaches 75%. Theoretically, the Brazilian educational model includes free public education on the municipal, state and federal levels. Education is compulsory for ages 7 through 14. However, this is not the reality in the slums because there are not enough schools and qualified teachers are reluctant to teach in this area of Rio. As a result, children seldom enjoy the discovery of learning. Without classroom space or teachers, many find themselves exposed to drugs, violence and eventually crime.
Improving Brazil’s educational profile is on the government’s agenda. The economic disparity between favela residents and others will depend on how effectively education can reach all of its citizens. In the mid 1990’s the vast majority of “workers” functioned with the equivalent knowledge of a fourth grade student. Presently, 36 million adults are illiterate, almost 20% of the population. Of those 20%, only 17% have completed high school. Thousands of youngsters, as young as eight can be denied any additional schooling because public funding has stopped.
The presence of Community in Action is helping change these statistics. There is no age discrimination for joining our literacy classes. Parents and children can find themselves with the same teacher. As individual progress changes, the student moves to more advanced levels. This educational model of tutoring and attention produces extraordinary literacy results. We have found that many times, the newly literate student becomes the teacher to someone else and receives the double benefit of learning and giving back that knowledge.
Community in Action has volunteer teachers who use curriculum materials appropriate for first and second grade elementary education. Classes are offered for children and adults, in math, history, social studies, language and science. We are dedicated to teaching any motivated student to read and write, and continue discovering themselves as well as their unrealized potential. We believe in the difference this opportunity is making and we are committed to expanding our curriculum, grade by grade.
Continued funding will transform the dream of education into a reality and provide at-risk children with an alternative to being on the streets.
IF YOU WOULD SPECIFICALLY LIKE YOUR DONATION TO FUND OUR CURRICULUM PROGRAM, PLEASE WRITE “Donation for Education” ON A SMALL NOTE ATTACHED TO YOUR CHECK.
“To find solutions Brazil will have to undergo a genuine revolution in education, expanding the school network and providing it with better equipment, restructuring teaching as a career, and adopting more efficient education methods. The revolution will also have to include technical and professional training either offered in public schools or Non Governmental Organizations. It must be accessible to the majority of the population, particularly to adults who have had little schooling and therefore have little chance of entering and remaining in the labor market.” –Ministry of Education