© Monteserín Photography

Educating People, Generating Opportunities

Education, employment, and humanitarian aid to the world’s most vulnerable people

Educate People, Generate Opportunities III (EPGO III) is a development programme initiated in 2014 and promoted by Entreculturas and Inditex. We renew our third three-year agreement in 2020 with the aim of continuing to carry out educational, employment and humanitarian aid programmes. This work is carried out hand-in-hand with local partner organisations, among which Fe y Alegría, the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Jesuit Migrant Service stand out. 

Our goal includes the
United Nation’s new 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development

© Nadine Malli, JRS Líbano

EPGO III at a glance

200,093

People

12

Countries

3

Years

€9’84

Million

In this new agreement we will carry out 25 social projects in 12 countries (Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Lebanon, South Africa and, as a novelty, Spain) where our goal is to serve 200,093 people in these three years. To achieve this, the total social investment of the program will be of 9.84 millions of euros.

We work in humanitarian crisis
situations, helping migrants, refugees,
and victims of natural disasters

© Rayner Peña, FE Y ALEGRÍA

© Rayner Peña, FE Y ALEGRÍA

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. This caused a humanitarian crisis that led to a health emergency, but also an educational and economic one. This has made existing structural vulnerabilities visible, and has created new vulnerabilities due to this new situation.

Facing this new context, the actions in education, access to work and humanitarian aid that conform the EPGO III Program, are the way through which we give a committed and agile response to the different conditions that the countries are facing. Baring in mind the low response capacity and the weak health systems in the places where we work.

Program progress

In 2020 -the first year of the program- we were able to carry out 25 projects in 12 countries, serving more than 68,000 people through processes of access to education, job training, access to employment, health care and care for the migrant population.

The challenges derived from COVID-19 and other factors that exacerbated the conditions of vulnerability and social marginalization required innovative responses to guarantee the support and comprehensive care to families, children, adolescents, youth, migrant population and other groups at risk of exclusion in each of the lines of action, highlighting:

• In Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, the adaptation of training via telematics, home visits, personalized support and delivery of printed educational material mitigated the risk of school dropout.
• The adaptation and provision of educational centers to meet the prevention measures of COVID 19 was key in Venezuela and Peru to give continuity to schooling and training for work.
• In all the countries, especially in Mexico, Lebanon and South Africa, it became necessary to supply humanitarian aid with basic necessities such as food, hygiene, health and security items that would make it possible to face the new vulnerabilities of the migrant population.
• Spain and Bolivia adapted the plans for strengthening capacities and competencies for entrepreneurship and access to employment to the digital reality and remote work.
• Psychosocial and legal assistance to migrants via telematics and individually support in countries such as Spain, Brazil and Mexico.