The ‘Educational Inclusion for Life’ project is a joint initiative run by the FC Barcelona Foundation and Scotiabank in partnership with World Vision Peru in the Loreto region’s Punchana district. More than 3,000 children and young people from three educational institutions within this community participate in the project. The visit coincided with a number of festivals being organised for some of the students from these educational centres, which the former football player and Barça Legend, Luis García, was able to attend, treating participants to a motivational talk about his experiences as an elite footballer while he was there.

The Peruvian Amazon zone suffers from extreme vulnerability in terms of education, particularly in the Loreto region. The project is based on three core elements, the first of which is aimed at improving the quality of education for children between the ages of 6 and 12 through the use of play-based pedagogical strategies, incorporating the SportNet methodology developed by the FC Barcelona Foundation, which uses sport, games and physical activity as tools for promoting social integration.

The second component is focused on giving adolescents and young people opportunities to implement their life projects by providing them with training related to finances and business incubation. And the third component involves working with the beneficiaries’ family members to share tools to help them raise their children in a more positive environment.

During its first year of operation, the project has successfully provided training for 156 teachers, helping to boost their skill sets using the SportNet, Unlock Literacy and Youth Ready strategies. Similarly, 171 young people (101 women) received training on entrepreneurship and seeking employment and 300 families have been taught and are implementing violence-free parenting methodologies.

A challenging context

In the Amazon regions, 4 out of 10 children live in circumstances characterised by monetary poverty. Poverty is associated with living conditions, the precarious area in which they live and having limited access to health, education and protection.

Teenagers in the Amazon only have between a 5.1% and 11.4% chance of achieving a satisfactory academic result in secondary school and thus accessing higher education. This means that children and adolescents are unable to go on to higher or technical education, restricting their chances of finding quality jobs and leading a full life, as well as making them more vulnerable to violence and the violation of other rights.

School dropout affects girls in particular. In the Amazonian regions of Peru, between 10.9% and 19.6% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 are young mothers, a situation that forces them to leave school and thereby curtails their chances of going on to higher education. Teen pregnancy and dropping out of school causes new mothers to normalise this situation and perpetuates a cycle in which the education of their daughters is not prioritised.

Violence is found in almost all spheres of life in the Amazon and forms part of the everyday existence of the children who live there: 5 out of 10 parents in Iquitos are violent at home.

Paco Sanz, Corporate Manager of the FC Barcelona Foundation

“In the Peruvian Amazon there is a high degree of educational vulnerability, particularly in the Loreto region, with 4 out of 10 children living in a situation of monetary poverty. This creates short and long-term consequences for these children, as poverty is associated with living conditions where there is restricted access to health, education and protection.”

Vanessa Macher, Sustainability and Institutional Relations Manager of Scotiabank Peru

 “Genesis told me that she loves playing sport because it lifts her spirits and helps her carry on. Juana, who is also 10, said that she likes being part of the program because, as well as learning about sport, the methodology helps teach her about values. Steven, who is 11, told me how important he thinks it is for the children to be respectful of each other. Trust, an appreciation of diversity and building self-esteem are all things we’re working to instil in these children through this wonderful Educational Inclusion for Life program.”

José Ventura, President of the Board of Directors of World Vision Peru

“Ensuring the comprehensive wellbeing of children is key to breaking cycles of poverty and violence. That’s why we work with their immediate environment, supporting family members to adopt an assertive style of parenting, which involves taking an active role in their children’s experiences. We also provide teachers with training on soft skills and new digital methodologies that promote reading.”

About the FC Barcelona Foundation

The FC Barcelona Foundation was set up in 1994 to support children and young people from the most vulnerable social groups through the promotion of sport and values education, with the aim of contributing to a fairer, more inclusive society. The Foundation’s activities are formulated in line with the United Nations Sport for Development and Sustainable Development Goals programs. With the emphasis on a new integrated approach to action, the Foundation’s work focuses on the three core areas of education and protection, community action and health and emotional wellbeing, and is based on the application of its own in-house programs and methodologies. Sport is fundamental to all our programs as an essential tool for social inclusion and equity, with a particular emphasis on gender equality and diversity in all its forms. The Foundation currently benefits more than 500,000 people around the world.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our ‘for our future’ corporate mission, we help our customers, their families and communities achieve success through a comprehensive range of advice, products, and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management, private, corporate and investment banking and capital markets. With a team of over 90,000 employees and assets of over $1.3 trillion (as of 30 April 2023), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS).

About World Vision Peru

World Vision is an NGO that has been supporting disadvantaged children and adolescents in Peru for over 40 years, working to ensure their protection as they grow up and furnish them with life skills to enable them to actively participate in society. Our technical model is based on a differential nurturing approach, which enables school age children to break the cycle of violence and maximise their learning potential, both on an academic and personal level.

 

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