Dropping school becomes the only alternative for many C&A during a socio-economic crisis. The vulnerability of teachers & students from public schools in Venezuelan urban & rural slums is increasing, demanding education alternatives to keep them in school. Since C-19 quarantine, NVELE reinforced its Diverse Care Program, focusing on ages (PAD1:5-7; PAD2:8-11; PAD3:12+) and adapting strategies.
NVELE is tailored as it works with and for less benefited communities, to bring C&A back to school. It diagnoses, engages, offers training and equipment for teachers, parents, caretakers, and community leaders participating. Multipliers require minimum skills: literacy, math, and self-motivation to deliver classes. Based on neuroscience, strategies develop & level linguistic & mathematical skills, through stimulation of logical & critical thinking, while fostering self-awareness and managing emotions (soft skills). During the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, schools closed, connectivity was limited and teachers struggled to travel to remote communities. Communities, sponsors and Aseinc agreed to maintain open “alternative classrooms” led by Community Facilitators. Training & follow-up were provided through few tools available: phone calls, WhatsApp & text messages. NVELE also provided a complementary food program and psycho-emotional accompaniment for participating families during the pandemic.
Since 2019 in partnerships with Education Cannot Wait and UNICEF, Aseinc created 86 NVELE alternative classrooms in Venezuela. It has offered playful, meaningful, collaborative and accelerated learning, communication & linguistic skills and, mathematical & logical reasoning for 12,8K+ C&A; provided 53,3K food kits, 43K+ hygiene kits, 24,1K+ education kits, and distributed 1,5K+ information flyers. To date 24,1K+ cases have received psychosocial support. Aseinc trained 518 Community Facilitators in inclusive pedagogy and fast learning to support 3,1K+ C&A to return to school. Even though 84% of C&A participating in the program were leveled according to their grade and age, and enrolled in local schools, there are still 5,6K+ out-of-school C&A in communities where the program is released.
Please contact Aseinc (Asociación para el Desarrollo de la Educación Integral y Comunitaria - Association for the Development of Comprehensive Education & Communities) to learn how to adapt NVELE to other vulnerable communities and increase the impact in other regions. Carolina Orsini, Executive Director.
