Peace+Corps+-+World+Wise+Schools

=Peace Corps - World Wise Schools=

We have been lucky enough to be paired with an awesome Peace Corps volunteer named Deanna. She has been working in Ecuador for the past year. She visited our classroom this week to tell us more about the work she is doing in Ecuador. Check out the following PowerPoint presentation that she showed our class to see a little more about what life in Ecuador is like!

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Read the following letter from Deanna to see how we can help her and her schools in Ecuador this year:

¡¡Saludos de Ecuador!! ¡Hola! Mi nombre es Deanna/ Greetings from Ecuador!! Hi! My name is Deanna. I am originally from Colorado, and currently a Peace Corps, Youth and Families Volunteer in Guaranda, Ecuador since August 2009. In Ecuador, through my Foundation, FPHDG (Fundacion Promocion Humana Diocesana de Guaranda), I have been working in rural community primary schools for the past 15 months. We have organized group work on a variety of topics - self-esteem, life skills, art projects, composting, recycling, and child development.

A common trend in all of these schools is lack of resources. In the rural communities in the Provence of Bolívar, where FPHDG works, schools struggle to provide equal education for their children. The Ministry of Education has put a high priority on reading and writing, when families are living off $2 a day, this priority has often become unimportant. Most children have NO access to books, and have not had the opportunity to explore literature and/ or arts. During my visits to the schools, two directors of small (less than 30 students) schools approached me about the need and desire to have books in their schools. It was an opportunity to give back to the children of Ecuador and their futures.

Simultaneously, I was paired up with Mr. Kennedy’s 2nd grade class (from Aurora, CO) through the WWS program. In the first letter Bobby wrote me, “We also talk a lot about altruism and giving back, so if there is any way that we can help you out in your service, please let us know.” Wow, what a perfect opportunity to create an internationally connected learning experience. Currently, we are organizing reading circles at each school; utilizing a limited supply of children’s books (available at a Cultural Center 1-2 hours from these rural schools). The school libraries will provide resources in each school, not only bringing literature and stories into their classrooms, but to bring new ways of thinking and methods of teaching into the classroom. The books will be used in two primary forms: (1) __After-School Reading Program__: a program designed to allow children to explore literature and express their reactions. (2) __Curriculum Enhancement__: the teachers will be educated in how to utilize literature to enhance both subjects of science or math as well as develop characteristics of questioning and leadership. These libraries aim to spark a spirit of discovery and foster participation to grant every student a universe of possibilities. With your help, we can provide a future filled with greater possibilities and self-expression to the students of Ecuador, specifically in two schools. __Santa Ana__: A 24 student, 2 teacher school in the subtropics of Ecuador. A 45-minute drive up a windy dirt road from the city of Caluma. Here, the students eagerly participate in activities of every kind, eager to learn more and thirsty for knowledge.

__EL Carbón__: Twenty-eight students and two professors in a school tucked away in the high Andes (at the base of Chimborazo). A bi-lingual community (Spanish-Kichwa) who’s main income is agriculture – quinoa and potatoes. During my first conversation with the school director, he said the children (and community) of El Carbón need the opportunity to read. ¡GRACIAS POR TODO TU APOYO! / THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP!
 * What can YOU do to help??!!** Go to [] ... we’ve set up a Wish List for Ecuador. You can help us provide books to the students by purchasing a book on-line. The books will be sent to my parent’s house (in Louisville, CO – the address is saved on Amazon.com) where we will transport them to Ecuador and to the rural communities. The books (including a variety of reading levels) will go directly to the two schools, kept in a community-made reading area (created through a //minga// – a community gathering to complete a task). Every week, an organized reading time will let the students read. Additionally, monthly community meetings will educate the community on the literature program and allow them get involved with the program.

We are going to be working with Deanna in the near future to try and help build a classroom library for the school that she works at in Ecuador. Stay tuned for more information and to find out how you can help.

If you have any questions about our partnership, e-mail me at rkennedy4@cherrycreekschools.org. For more information about the World Wise Schools Correspondence Program, click here.