24 Apr Fe y Alegría Argentina: Overcome in the midst of difficulty
Thanks to the union, the care and the mutual accompaniment, the teams of our partner organization Fe y Alegría Argentina are managing to overcome and reduce the impact of the pandemic. An example of this is the educational center located in the Solidaridad neighborhood, Salta Capital, a place where social inequality and lack of resources continues to be a reality for many families.
A Fe y Alegría Argentina school strengthens its support and community bond in the context of the pandemic
Silvia Argota, secondary school director of the center since 2006, tells us how, despite the closure of schools, they have managed to maintain the bond between the students and families creating community : “I have learned the value of the spiritual and community strength facing difficulties” she affirms.
The majority of families living in the Solidaridad neighborhood support themselves economically through informal jobs. With the arrival of the pandemic, many of them have been inmersed not only in a health crisis, but also in an economical, social and educational one.
Many families do not have an internet connection or sufficient resources, as well as electronic devices to allow them to continue with distance education. To deal with this situation, the Fe y Alegría team has managed to bring education to all homes through phone calls and weekly visits to those families who had no possibility of connection. They have also launched an educational platform that allows teachers to continue teaching, as well as training and accompanying teachers to be able to adapt to remote work.
Continuing with virtual lessons has allowed them to generate meaningful educational proposals and has permitted them to carry out a more autonomous and reflective learning in the context of the pandemic and the social problems that have derived from it.
“Step by step, a high percentage of connectivity was achieved thanks to Fe y Alegría Argentina, which helped with virtual uploads, printed teaching materials, sanitary kits, food, etc.”, Silvia Argota affirms.
In the words of Gustavo Calderón, a student who graduated from the Fe y Alegría school in Solidarity, “despite the barriers that arose, today we are here: warriors who fought till the end”.
The virtual platform had such a big support that other Fe y Alegría educational centers are replicating it as a training space for students and families, teaching, activities and homework delivery, etc. The commitment of the entire educational community, both teachers and administrative staff, has made it possible to maintain the bond and educational development of the students of the center.
The program ‘Educating People, Generating Opportunities’ supports this educational center, which is part of the project “Educar para la vida. Educar para la paz ”, which has the aim of improving the coexistence, through the prevention of violence and the promotion of a culture of peace within the school, and also among families and the community.
The actions promoted by the school as a consequence of the pandemic, contribute to the articulation of the educational community, and show that, more than ever, that education helps to protect thousands of children in situations of asylum, violence, poverty or social exclusion.