SOS Schools in Venezuela

SOS Primary School Maracaibo

The SOS Primary School opened in 1999. It has nearly 770 children who are taught in two shifts. The school is a model for other schools in the locality.

Update report from 2008:

 

The SOS School is located in Zulia State in Venezuela. The school year came to an end in July 2008 promoting 827 children to the following level. 48 children will repeat the same grade and the desertion was of only 15 children. In September the new school year began with 990 children and 117 youths in adult education. At present it is known as a role model school in administrative and pedagogical organisation; it tends to primary and secondary education in two shifts. It also tends to Special Education through the integrated class room were there are enrolled 120 children with special learning needs and with special conditions with the goal of achieving an all-round education

and minimizing their difficulties and favoring their skills.

 

With the help of the government, 32 scholarships were granted to students in particularly difficult economical situations. Within the educational innovations we have begun the implementation of the All-Round Educational Communitarian Project “Building a harmonic atmosphere in coexistence”. Its goal is to strengthen bonds between the school, the family and the Community in the learning process of the tended population allowing in the future to prepare them to cope in the economical, social and cultural field.

The children and adolescents participated in a training programme to promote competences for life and participation. This programme resulted of an agreement between UNICEF and SOS Children. They received training on promotion of their rights and duties through the radio and talks to promote participation and leadership of children and adolescents.

Youngsters that are part of the school’s rights group assisted to the 3rd Childhood Protection Policies activity, where they showed their achievements in the promotion of rights and duties. These include their experiences promoting the rights and duties inside and out of the institution, to the parents and child responsible, and the importance of being leaders of this process.

We began a school garden in which every teacher has some space to cultivate fruits and vegetables of the region. This develops in the boys and girls skills for cultivating.

We had School Days for the Family with the assistance of 300 parents who were awarded with certificates of assistance to the school meetings and activities.

Our children took part of the Summer Camp organised by the teaching staff and collaborators from the SOS Children’s Village. The activities included going to swimming pools, parks, movies and farms.

The year end was celebrated giving away 450 toys to the slum sectors of the community. The toys were donations form public and private companies. We had a Christmas party for the children and the teaching staff in which we shared, food baskets, presents, games and candy.

SOS Nursery School Maracaibo

Update report 2008:

The SOS Nursery School Riberas del Lago, located in La Cañada de Urdaneta belongs to the SOS Children Schools Programme. During the school year 2008 it tended to a population of 284 children between the ages of 3 to 6 years old from different sectors of the community. It is a centre for initial education, with a teaching staff trained for these educational needs.

Among the activities of the school we had parties, outings, festivals, health days, and parent meetings through the Family School Programme. The parents were satisfied to have new infrastructure with air conditioning and decoration according to the projects carried out by the children. On the Rights and Duties day we had a walk activity with the participation of the children with their parents and the community.

At the end of the school year we promoted 90 boys and girls to primary school. To celebrate the event we went on an outing to amusement parks and touristic sites of the region.

On the month of December we had our Christmas Party with a gift exchange with all the staff, and children that assist to the nursery school.

SOS Nursery School Ciudad Ojeda

The SOS Nursery School Los Chipilines ended 2008 with an enrollment of 455 boys and girls of which 303 are taken care of by teachers trained in all-round community attention in their communities; and 152 assist to the nursery school headquarters. We started the school year putting into practice learning projects focused on the rights and duties of the children of our institution and extending them to the community through walks, speeches, leaflets and banners.

Among the main advances we have self management for the construction of three educational centres for the children of the community that are not in the educational system with the help of the parents, public institutions and SOS Children Venezuela.

For the school year end activities we had the participation of the children and parents with song singing, games and poetry as a way to reinforce family and educational sharing, compromising the parents with the learning process of their children. Among the activities of the year we had the anniversary of the SOS Children’s Village, food day, children’s day, birthdays and plays related to the children’s projects.

For the celebration of Christmas and New Year, we had a living nativity scene, Santa Claus visited us and gave Christmas presents to the children; we shared with the parents, the staff and the children a Christmas party including gifts and Christmas dinner.