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| What
is the story behind Hijos del Campo? |
“It
was started by leaders from the rural zones who dreamed
of better opportunities for their children. The idea
came from the people.”
-
Ramon Castro, Executive Director of Hijos del Campo |
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Hijos
del Campo is one of the foundations of Coocafe, a consortium
of nine co-operatives in Costa Rica. Soon after Coocafe
was founded in 1988, it began a scholarship program
for the children of coffee-producers who were co-operative
members. |
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However,
its resources were limited and there was a need for
a more formal and permanent program to support education.
Leaders of the communities and from various sectors
came together, dreaming of better opportunities for
their children and they decided to start a new organization,
with independence in its economics and administration.
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They
wanted to ensure that rural children have the opportunities
to pursue education to the highest levels so that they
too could sit at the decision-making tables in government
for example and have their perspective represented.
Education is the vehicle for young people to rise to
the top and achieve their goals. |
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Education is the vehicle for young people to rise to
the top and achieve their goals. |
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All
of the Coocafe member co-operatives contributed money
to start the new organization and in October 1996, Hijos
del Campo was born. The goals were established, the
constitution was written and the board of directors
elected. In January 1997, Hijos del Campo began in earnest
and launched its programs, which to date, have helped
thousands of rural children receive a better education. |
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Why is an organization like Hijos del Campo needed? |
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spite of the achievements reached in education in Costa
Rica, the rural areas experience inferior quality of academics
compared with schools in urban areas of the country. In
rural zones, schools face problems such as poor infrastructure,
lack of qualified personnel, and an inability of many
students and their families to afford school fees. These
among other challenges, threatens students' rights to
a high-quality education. |
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“At
the El Silencio School we began a renovaion project
in 1999 thanks to donations from the students' families
and the community.
Despite
the great sacrifices that have been made we still cannot
afford to construct a floor for the school.
When
we asked the government for support to complete this
important project they turned their backs on us.
The
opportunity that the Hijos del Campo Foundation brings
to communities is of great importance, and we would
be very grateful for your collaboration in making our
dreams a reality.”
—Edgar
Alvary Barrantes, Director of the El Silencio School
(COOPETILA). |
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| How
is Hijos del Campo funded? |
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| Hijos
del Campo receives funding from a variety of sources, including: |
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- Fair
Trade. $1.00 from every 100 pounds of green beans
that COOCAFE exports to the fair trade market is allocated
to support the Hijos del Campo foundation. Hijos del Campo
als0 receives $0.15 from the sale of each 250 g bag of Café
Paz
- Coffee
Kids.Coffee Kids is an international non-profit
organization that has been partners with Hijos del Campo
since its establishment. Coffee Kids seeks to improve the
quality of life for children and their families in rural
coffee-growing regions of Mexico and Central America.
- Other
organizations. In addition to funding from Coffee
Kids, Hijos del Campo also receives support from organizations,
charities and development organizations such as Fair Trade
Assistance.
- Alternative
tourism. Hijos del Campo also generates funds from
the sale of services such as alternative, eco and rural
tourism packages. The trips are organized so that visiting
groups can learn more about fair trade, see its results,
meet and live with rural families and tour and experience
the beautiful country of Costa Rica.
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| How
do we work? |
Hijos
del Campo has one executive director who is responsible for the
administration and operation of the foundation. There is also a
board of directors whose members represent people from the education
sector, the nine co-operatives of Coocafe, supporting organizations
and the government of Costa Rica.
Each co-operative
in Coocafe has an Education Committee that works closely with Hijos
del Campo to carry out the foundation's objectives. The Education
Committees are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients;
making local decisions; facilitating communications betwen the cooperatives,
their communities, and teh foundations; monitoring and evaluating
programs; and gathering feedback. |
Facts
and Figures
- 1600
scholarships have been awarded since 1997
- This
year (2004) 300 scholarships are being given
- 224
elementary schools have received support since 1997
- 5,638
students have benefited from the support given to schools
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