Success Story
1.What might otherwise be a tranquil street corner in the town of Ocotal, Nicaragua bustles with activity every day from frequent visits of clients loyal to street vendor Gregorio Perez. Gregorio has staked his claim on this corner, and he is found there every morning with his pushcart selling enchiladas, taquitos and fresh fruit juice to workers in the area. Gregorio’s business is funded by microloans provided by Global Partnerships microfinance partner FUNDENUSE, and the income from it supports his entire family. The business itself is a family affair. Gregorio staffs the cart selling the product, his wife of 14 years cooks the food and prepares the juice at home, and their older son brings fresh supplies to restock Gregorio when he runs out. Together they prepare and sell more than 350 enchiladas every day.
Gregorio has two young boys, both of whom attend school, and the earnings from his pushcart pay for their uniforms and books. While Gregorio acknowledges that there are various options for microfinance services in his town, he chooses to work with FUNDENUSE because they have offered him not only loans, but also excellent customer service. In fact, it was a FUNDENUSE loan officer who first shared with Gregorio the opportunity to obtain a loan and start his own business—a business which is building a brighter future for this young family in Nicaragua
2.His school in Tabarre, a Port-au-Prince neighbourhood close to the capital's airport, is where Haitian President Michel Martelly recently announced that 772,000 children will receive free schooling this year.
"I haven't been to school for two years," said a smiling Lucien. "I did my first year when I was nine in another school. But then my parents couldn't afford to pay the school fees anymore, and I had to stay at home."
Many parents often spend almost all of their money on school fees for their children, which in Lucien's school averages around 450 Gourdes - about US$11. Others, like Lucien's parents, simply could not afford to send their children to school.
"Education is crucial for the development of children, families, communities, and for the future of Haiti's reconstruction," stressed UNICEF Representative in Haiti Françoise Gruloos-Ackermans. "This initiative by the Haitian government will help thousands of children who never had the chance to go to school to get an education."
School for free
Thanks to the new government programme, many students like Lucien go to school for free now. That his parents still couldn't afford to buy him a uniform doesn't really bother him.
"I am just happy to be here in school and to learn a lot of useful things," he said. "I want to learn French because that will help me to find a good job."
The new government programme's target is to make it economically possible for every child to go to school. To this end, it will introduce free schooling across the country in stages.
Poverty is particularly bitter in areas outside Port-au-Prince, where jobs are few and access to basic services like education is difficult, if available at all. This is why most of the funding allocated by the government for paying the school fees will initially be spent there.
Still, children in Port-au-Prince like Lucien are benefitting from the free schooling.
Giving children hope
Unlike in previous school years, none of the children in the national school in Tabarre have to pay school fees. Eleven-year-old Nai Ka is classmate of Lucien's, and like him, she hasn't been to school in two years.
"My parents are very proud I am going to school again," she said excitedly. "I am also very happy that I get food here every day. At home I sometimes have to go two days without eating anything."
The World Food Programme is supporting the government's programme with daily food rations for the children.
"Going to school gives children back their hope," explained Jean Francois Lucien, headmaster of the Tabarre School. "It helps them forget about their often dire situation at home and focus on something entirely different and stimulating."
3.Mali’s quality of education remains a major concern since students’ learning achievement scores in mathematics and reading are among the lowest in francophone African countries.
According to the 2005 Learning Achievement Assessment (PASEC) only 55 percent of grade two students achieved the average score in mathematics and only 48 percent had the appropriate reading levels.
Therefore, the Second Education Sector Investment Program of 2007, which is financed by a Global Partnership for Education grant and a World Bank IDA allocation, is designed not only to increase access to education, but also to raise the quality of learning.
The government of Mali wants to improve the quality of basic and secondary education by training teachers (both pre and in-service), providing textbooks and other learning materials, installing dedicated reading areas inside classrooms, and transferring direct funds to school to acquire materials locally.
Since the implementation of the program, 1200 classrooms and two teachers training institutes were constructed, which allowed for the training of more than 1,800 additional teachers, and the in-service training of more than 4,000 teachers.
In addition, over 2,000,000 textbooks have been distributed and reading areas has been established in 3,500 classrooms. The program has also supported 1,400,000 students in primary school through direct transfers of funds to decentralized entities.
Babri Gallédou, Director of the Teaching Support Center in the Malian city of Fana said: “These funds helped us begin the school year with fewer problems, especially as they are provided at the beginning of the year.”
Mali’s gross enrollment rate in primary education has reached 82 percent in 2008 from 60 percent in 2000.Despite the large expansion of the education system, the gender gap is still considerable and more boys than girls attend school, the ratio of 64 students per teacher is still very high, and the learning achievement scores by students are still not satisfactory.
The government and local Global Partnership for Education partners will continue to work on these challenges in the upcoming
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