Global Fund for Children, in partnership with seven other funders, supports a cohort of 12 civil society organizations in Guatemala and Honduras that are working to ensure children and young people can exercise their right to education.
This initiative is a collaboration between GFC and Tinker Foundation, The Summit Foundation, International Community Foundation, Luis von Ahn Foundation, Focus Central America, Vibrant Village Foundation, and The Ward Foundation. It is also known as the RECARGA initiative, which stands for Recuperando la Educación en Centroamérica: Activando Redes y Grupos Asociados (Educational Recovery in Central America: Supporting the Critical Role of Civil Society Organizations).
Through this initiative, we strive to support the recovery, renewal, and improvement of learning environments for children who have faced persistent barriers to educational success that were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
RECARGA strengthens civil society for post-pandemic educational recovery by supporting our partners to:
- Ensure a return to school for children in their communities, address academic gaps, and provide wrap-around support to students.
- Advocate for expanded access to quality education for all children and ensure that equity, quality, and access remain at the center of post-pandemic education system plans and investments.
- Strengthen networks for advocacy and learning by exchanging information and approaches; articulating and advancing shared priorities; engaging with experts and stakeholders; and participating in capacity-strengthening activities.
Each partner organization will receive annual funding and organizational capacity strengthening support to continue its education-related work, with a particular emphasis on increasing organizational influence and impact beyond direct service delivery. In Guatemala, the Population Council will also provide RECARGA partners with opportunities to engage in research, hands-on skills-building, and collaborative learning to cultivate a shared vision for equitable educational recovery. In Honduras, CIPE Consultores will support partners to strengthen their ability to influence change and conduct and share research, as well as link the cohort to education public policy discussions, particularly through the Foro Dakar Honduras.
The RECARGA initiative is managed by GFC, which provides direct support to local organizations and facilitates networking, convening, and collaboration in Guatemala and Honduras. Take a look at RECARGA’s 2022–2023 Yearbook for some highlights from the first year.
The RECARGA initiative is a funder collaborative, and there is room for additional funders to join. For more information, please contact Christine Burkhart.
Project Partners:
ACCIÓN HONDURAS
Honduras | Lepaterique
Acción Honduras focuses on generating positive and lasting changes in rural Honduras by inspiring and empowering communities to take action to improve the conditions of people living in vulnerable circumstances through sustainable development and systemic change. The organization has a special focus on children, adolescents, and youth.
ASOCIACIÓN DE ESTUDIOS Y PROYECTOS DE ESFUERZO POPULAR
Guatemala | San Juan Sacatepéquez
Asociación de Estudios y Proyectos de Esfuerzo Popular (EPRODEP) provides formal education with personal accompaniment and opportunities for artistic expression to children and adolescents who have been rejected from public schools, including children with disabilities and youth with behavioral challenges.
ASOCIACIÓN PUERTA DE ESPERANZA
Guatemala | Guatemala City
Asociación Puerta de Esperanza provides alternative education and literacy programs to children and youth who live in and around Guatemala City’s largest public market.
CENTRO EDUCATIVO TÉCNICO INDIGENISTA INTIBUCANO
Honduras | Intibucá
Centro Educativo Técnico Indigenista Intibucano (CETIIN) provides middle school and technical education in a variety of traditional handicrafts to young people from Lenca Indigenous communities, offering academic opportunities while advancing cultural knowledge.
CHISPA PROJECT
Honduras | Tegucigalpa
Chispa Project brings books directly to schools, seeding and invigorating libraries inside established local educational institutions while training teachers and parents to jointly manage and creatively use the donated books in ways that enliven learning.
ESCUELA BILINGÜE INTERCULTURAL COMUNITARIA, FUNDACIÓN NUEVA ESPERANZA RÍO NEGRO
Guatemala | Rabinal
Escuela Bilingüe Intercultural Comunitaria, run by Fundación Nueva Esperanza Río Negro, serves Achí and Q’eqchi’ Indigenous adolescents from rural areas through its secondary school, which specializes in sustainable ecology and agriculture and preserving historical memory.
INSTITUTO COMUNITARIO LA ESPERANZA
Guatemala | Chimaltenango
Instituto Comunitario La Esperanza provides accelerated primary and middle school education focused on violence prevention, primarily to adolescents who have migrated from the Guatemalan Highlands to one of Guatemala’s fastest growing urban centers.
PERONIA ADOLESCENTE
Guatemala | Villa Nueva
Peronia Adolescente works with children and adolescents in peri-urban areas struggling with violence by providing tutoring and psychosocial support alongside and integrated with the arts.
PROGRAMA SOCIOEDUCATIVO PASO A PASO
Honduras | San Pedro Sula
Programa Socioeducativo Paso a Paso is an education and community development center that offers both academic and holistic support to children, youth, and families in San Pedro Sula’s Rivera Hernández neighborhood through playful learning, nutrition, livelihoods, environmental care, and wellbeing.
PROYECTO UREMU
Honduras | San Pedro Sula
Proyecto Uremu provides free music education in marginalized communities in the city of San Pedro Sula to encourage children to practice the arts and offer them alternatives to environments that put them at social risk.
TIERRA NUEVA
Guatemala | Huehuetenango
Tierra Nueva promotes the expansion of alternative education opportunities for children and adolescents in rural areas in western Guatemala through a pilot program and training for public primary and secondary school teachers.
YO’O GUATEMALA
Guatemala | Purulhá
Yo’o offers literacy programs for Poqomchi’ and Q’eqchi’ Indigenous children in rural areas and encourages them to enjoy reading by providing them with access to a dynamic community library.
Header photo: Girls participating in a program run by GFC partner Asociación AMA in Guatemala. © GFC / Alejandro de Leon