Venezuela has been battling with a political and economic crisis for months which has significantly affected all and sundry. These negative impacts have been felt in the education sector as well. Education is no more a priority for many middle-class and poor Venezuelans, who are too engrossed in their quest for survival amidst a storm of looting and riots. Due to the situation, almost 40% of Venezuelan teachers fail to show up at schools daily, primarily because they are either waiting in line for food or medicine. The presence of pupils at schools is also dropping, with the more pressing need to line up and secure food before helping their parents at their shops.
Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning is a non-profit, charity organization that helps countries and communities in need by providing access to free educational resources through technology. At Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning, we saw and accessed the deteriorating Venezuela situation, and we made it an obligation to lend assistance to the concerned citizenry, especially students, in the aspect of education. In pursuance of our belief that education is the key to a world without poverty, we initiated a mission to provide out-of-school Venezuelan children with the best possible assistance as regards access to free and qualitative education. Hence, we handled the immediate care for a fixed group, which served as part of a program for extra-school activities in Mérida-Venezuela. By providing minimal conducive conditions to the most vulnerable public schools, we bring high-quality education to children as close as possible.
Our stern belief lies in the fact that all people are created equal, that is, everyone deserves and is entitled to an equal opportunity for success. We applied the same approach towards education in Venezuela, by removing several inequalities in the sector. We worked towards the provision of proper access to learning materials in the native language, as well as providing knowledgeable teachers and community support. The program kicked off with a group of fourteen (14) member students, and which meets every Thursday afternoon in a private residence. There, we made available, for the enjoyment of participating children, exclusive content delivered in English. Such materials included games, guided readings and sometimes assistance for other subject’s (apart from English) homework.
Many students found this program very helpful and couldn’t hide their satisfaction. “It is a very useful and funny portal to learn English and all things we like to learn,” said a happy Any (12) – Venezuelan student who participated in the program. While this outing can be considered a success, DTML’s mission is far from complete. They need your help to continue to give children in Venezuela the opportunity to have a much-improved experience with education and ultimately a better life for themselves.
