Colombia is just one example of a country that, despite spending nearly 5 percent of its gross domestic product on education, faces many challenges in educating young people. Some of these challenges are offset by the assistance of nonprofit organizations trying to help disadvantaged and displaced children.
With a population of over 43 million, Colombia faces a daunting set of challenges. The country is embroiled in a decades-long, internal military conflict and has been ravaged by a brutal drug war. The violence has caused millions of people, especially in rural areas, to flee their homes and seek shelter in refugee camps and in the slums of urban cities, placing a huge burden on the country's education system. Many of these displaced citizens are children who need the assistance of nonprofit organizations to get any sort of education. A good number of the children are unable to read or write, and a lot of the school infrastructure is inadequate.
One organization that helps Colombian children is theGenesis Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit that provides grants to help improve the education of Colombia's impoverished. Founded in 2001, the foundation focuses on providing funding for schooling and training in some of Colombia's poorest areas.
According to the Genesis Foundation's 2008Annual Report, more than $6 million has been donated to help Colombia's schools. In 2008 alone, more than 70,000 children benefited from the foundation's donations. The funding covers a wide range of education-related needs, including vocational training, nutritional needs, books and materials, and school operating costs.
Another organization, Colombia Progresa, also provides funding to help Colombia's displaced children. Colombia Progresa tries to help children stay in school and encourages reading and the development of social skills that will help them become independent adults. They also provide scholarships, uniforms, and the books fortraveling libraries. The libraries, which go from school to school, allow children in areas of the country that have little support for education materials to improve their grammar and reading skills. The organization has donated nearly 8,000 books to over 110 schools.
