On Saturday, December 27 teachers from CAFRED schools had an extra training session.(The facilitator, Lic. Alberto Barillas, is an advisor to USAID in El Salvador and a private consultant in the field of education. He has worked extensively as a consultant to the Salvadoran government’s Ministry of Education.)

This training had more activities, he said that is necessary that the teachers put in practice the information they had received in the previous trainings to be able to debate among themselves to see if they all agree in the programs that they want to carry out and how they will do it.

He told them that they must discuss among themselves at least every month to see if they are achieving the goals they want to meet, or if something is missing, and what kind of issues they had to face to carry out the project that they want.

by Saúl Maravilla

Coordinator, CAFRED Support Committee, El Salvador

Thank you to La Tasca for their wonderful support through the CAFRED mini-menu! We invite you all to take part in all the fun with CAFRED by visiting the La Tasca restaurant locations in Maryland, DC and Virginia!

Remember that La Tasca will be offering this promotion to enjoy wonderful Spanish Tapas while contributing to CAFRED’s mission – through April of 2012! For each plate of delicious tapas or bottle of the special CAFRED champagne, La Tasca donates $5 to our mission at all of their US locations (sorry, United Kingdom! Not yet!).

Make your reservation now for Valentine’s Day and support our passion with your passion!!!

Remember, this promotion will remain active through April of 2012 – so it’s not too late to stop by!

Locations:

722-7th St., NW, Washington, DC (near the Gallery Place Metro stop)
Reservations: 202-347-9190
201 East Pratt St., Baltimore, MD (at the Baltimore Harbour)
Reservations: 410-209-2562
2900 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA (near Clarendon Metro stop)
Reservations: 703-812-9120
607 King St.,Alexandria, VA (near Old Town Metro stop)
Reservations: 703-299-9810
141 Gibbs St., Rockville, MD (the Row at Rockville Town Square – Rockville Metro stop)
Reservations: 301-279-7011

During the training session, Alberto explained to the teachers that most of the problems that communities have is because the lack of solidarity and that it is crucial that the schools work on that, “because the only way of developing a community is based on solidarity”.

Sr. (Lic.) Barillas says that “the best way to integrate the community is to involve them with projects in the schools where students can easily find theories learned in class and they showcase these lessons in practice during the projects”.

It is important that when the teacher designs a project, that the students themselves be taken into account in the design. This will encourage  students to feel more enthusiasm to take part in the projects.

Barillas says that “if the students wish to take part and they can match the theory with the practice, this will be transmitted to the parents, and if this happens, the parents will begin to coöperate more and more in the activities of the school”.

Written by: Saul Maravilla
San Salvador, El Salvador

He explained to them the importance of working as a team. This process encourages diversity of thought among members. Listening to the opinions of everyone in the group leads to a better decision-making process. It is important to have a final decision where everyone has had their ideas taken into account.

Also Alberto said that schools in rural areas might work not only with their students, but with the community members at large. School is not like a place far from the reality that is happening around them. It is necessary that the families of the students and the students as well get involved in different activities, not only the academic ones. They should have activities that revolve around their daily routines.

CAFRED tailors its programs to the community’s needs and standards, because the reality of each community is unique. Working together between the school, the students and the community helps the community to refine its identity.

Communication is vital and respect for the autonomy of the community allows programs that they have implemented to be improved upon by themsleves later, thereby building capacities. The community must feel ownership of the process and the school.

by Saúl Maravilla

Coordinator, CAFRED Support Committee, El Salvador

This training session was completely different from all the ones that this year that have been given to them. It is January - almost the beginning of the School year in El Salvador and teachers have a lot of things to keep in mind to improve the way that they work.

The goal is make CAFRED schools inclusive, and to complete this goal, it is necessary to really know the students that we have.

Alberto told the teachers that to get to know their students well,  they must carefully analyze the specific needs of each child.

Sra. Montano stressed the importance of the students becoming involved in their communities. Communities will develop as the students begin to understand the dynamics of their environment and how to impact it for the better.

Also, it is very important to keep in mind that the children who are “sobre edad” (performing below the traditional grade level for their age) feel vulnerable, and can easily become targets for bullying. Therefore, it is necessary to closely identify their needs and keep them in the school system. The methodology that the teacher is using may need to be modified a bit, so that everyone reaches the goal of finishing their studies.

by Saúl Maravilla

Coordinator, CAFRED Support Committee, El Salvador

They had cookies and juice before they started with the tour around the museum, then they begin with a painting workshop, they were divided in two different groups, the topic of their paintings were the originality of each one, the facilitator told them they are artists they were using the best materials like brushes and paint. The facilitator explain them how to get some colours and how they should clean brushes. At the end of the workshop all the kids were invited to put their creation on the wall of Plaza de los Poetas, to let them dry.

CAFRED increases access to education in rural Central America by constructing safe schools and supporting them with programs designed to increase attendance, improve learning levels and inspires community and family participation.

Feed your soul and the souls of others

Join CAFRED at La Tasca (Gallery Place Metro) in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Oct. 26 to kick off our special fundraiser.

Come feed your soul and the souls of others by sampling the special CAFRED mini-menu.
This exclusive menu allows La Tasca guests to simply order delicious and
specially prepared items and 20% of proceeds from this night will go to support CAFRED’s mission.

Kamal Jahanbein, owner of the Saloon in Washington’s historical U-street corridor, and Executive Director of Kamal Foundation, will welcome and
address guests at the kick-off event. Jahanbein has been instrumental in
launching CAFRED and supporting completion of its first school.

Can’t come in person to help us kick off this great event? You can still visit La Tasca after Oct. 26 until April 2012 to enjoy the special menu. La Tasca will donate $5 from the purchase of each item to advance our mission to provide sustainable education throughout rural Central America. Or you can donate at www.cafred.org/donate.

Thank you for making a difference!

Join us Wednesday,
Oct. 26, 2011

La Tasca DC

722 7th St., NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 347-9190

www.latascausa.com

6 PM – 8 PM

CAFRED is a D.C.-based tax-exempt nonprofit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to increase access to education in rural Central America by constructing safe schools and supporting them with programs designed to increase attendance, improve learning levels and inspire community and family participation. To find out more, visit our website at www.cafred.org, our blog at www.cafred.wordpress.com and our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/CAFRED.

The Trainer,  Ada Montano,  is Chief of Inclusive Education for the Salvadoran Ministry of Education. She has years of experience in special education.

This was a great opportunity for all in attendance to learn more about the history of  inclusive education in the world, and what the ministry has been doing all these years. She explained that teachers have a really important role in developing children’s abilities.

“We all have to reach the same goal, but sometimes it is necessary that the teacher take some more time with some students, but that all of us  have the same potential to gain wisdom”.

It is apparent that the teachers are benifitting from the CAFRED teacher training as they are showing more enthusiasm in developing the communities where they are working. One of the biggest challenges that Ada Montano told them, is that they must integrate the community with the activities that are happening in the school.

This is a great way to develop a community – by making a place of interaction – and not only a place where the children go to take their lessons.

We will have a follow up session with her to keep working in this imporatnt area.

by Saúl Maravilla

Coordinator, CAFRED Support Committee, El Salvador
Saul also is a volunteer facilitator for Swedish NGO,  Schools for the Future, focusing on non-violence excercises through childrens literature. Schools for the Future collaborates with CAFRED in Canton El Olimpo, and also works in other schools in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. You can learn more about their programs at www.schoolsforthefuture.org.

On August 19th, the
students of Centro Escolar  El Olimpo had
a field trip to the art museum MARTE,  where 60 students  could enjoy all the
paintings that the museum has. They learnt
more about the pre-Columbian art, and some more paintings and sculptures
of contemporary art.  The whole group was divide in two, to have a
better experience closer to the facilitators from the museum.

In the reVISIONES collection, they learnt about Salvadoran history and had contact with
some paintings from such artists as Valero Lecha, Carlos Cañar, Salvador Salazar
Arrué and many others.

Then, they keep the tour around the museum, we made a stop in one of the temporary expositions called “MESOPARASITIO” of Patricia Villalobos,
which she describes as a way  to
describe how the wall become our skin and she makes a reference with our body
and the global conflicts that we have daily.

While we were crossing to other rooms, the impression that all the kids had while they saw a sculpture of our Forefather José Simeón Cañas (art piece of Rubén Martinez).

Go to one room and then
to other, look all the different sculptures, find the different meanings that a
painting could have, and the different meanings of how they make them feel were
really good, sometimes some of them express their amazement, some other were
laughing, they just had a good time, but this was not the end of the field
trip, when they finished all the rooms, they were invited to join a Painting
Session in the Plaza de los Poetas.

When they finished
their paintings, it was time to go back to the school, all were anxious on
going back to the museum, they got a worksheet to fill in and they got a pass,
which they can use to have a free entrance to the museum with their family.

- by Saúl Maravilla (Coordinador del Comité
de Apoyo CAFRED, El Salvador)

Saul is a 2nd year student in Industrial Engineering at Universidad Albert Einstein in San Salvador, in addition to his volunteer work with CAFRED. Saul also translates for a group of Jamaican doctors and nurses who make regular visits to poor communities in El Salvador to deliver medical services.

Saul set up and provided ongoing support for the museum program - involving teachers from the CAFRED schools taking training in art history for 8 straight weeks. At the end of the training, each of the teachers received a diploma from the Ministry of Education and a free pass for students in all the CAFRED supported schools to visit the museum, MARTE, free of charge and take part in art training classes. -