El Salvador. Amun Shea School Project.
With recent trips to El Salvador, members of FocalPointAid have developed connections and friendships with a great school program in the small mountain town of Perquin. Amun Shea (land of seeds) is a small school in Morazan, built and run by Ron Brennenman, a former international aid worker from the U.S., and staffed by a handful of dedicated teachers. It is a ray of hope in a region of the world that needs just that.
The school teaches 52 students pre-k through third grade. Although new (the first semester started in February 2008) and experimental in many ways, it is already operating at a high level and holds true to all the ideals of learning and child development that make education paramount in building a strong community. There is a long list of families that want their children to attend Amun Shea next semester. As of now, they are not able to accommodate many more than they already hold.
Click here to see a short video about Amun Shea: http://www.youtube.com/watch\?v=ahYRUDt0y68
Jump to Photo Album
FocalPointAid visits El Salvador.
On our most recent visit to Perquin, we were able to see the school in context of the region’s troubled past. Morazan was a hotspot during the brutal civil war that ended only 16 years ago. The social upheaval and contentious politics that surrounded that war are still defining features of this community. Unfortunately, the education system in El Salvador has not fully developed over the years. In this region for example, students only attend school for 3-hour half day sessions. These public schools have no modern materials, no text books, and teachers that work hard but may not be fully qualified.
After hearing the stories of the families in Perquin and meeting with the parents or guardians of these children, the mission of Amun Shea seems even more important. This school was built with the hope that children of this region reach for a life beyond their current means. The unfortunately trend for youth here is to become laborers that have to travel outside of El Salvador to find work. It has broken up families and crippled an economy. The wish at Amun Shea is to create leaders and inspirational figures of their community.
When members of FocalPointAid first visited El Salvador and Amun Shea this past winter, we knew that we wanted to help this school in any way that we could. When we returned in June, we wanted to roll up our sleeves and lend a hand. We were happily invited visit the school and speak with the teachers. As with other visitors, we were also asked to teach a few classes. We spent a week at the school and introduced the students to dance and photography. Not only were we surprised at the exuberance the children had for these classes, we were absolutely astonished at how quickly their creativity bubbled to the surface. We are thankful to the staff of Amun Shea for the opportunity to share in the education of these amazing children.
To see some of the student’s photography, click here: Pictures
To read more about our trip, click here: Travel Blog
How you can help!
The first semester at Amun Shea started just this winter and has already received recognition for academic achievement. After only one semester it is amazing how well the school runs, how successful the program is and how happy and eager all the children are. The school itself is a humble but well built structure at the end of a dirt road. It has all the facilities that a school requires but not much more. As with many of the schools that we have seen and heard about, they need more materials, more rooms and more teachers.
As we have mentioned, the school only reaches the 3rd grade. As their current students get older, they will need more buildings to house more classes. If Amun Shea cannot expand, this year’s 3rd graders will be forced to return to the vastly inadequate public school system. With your help, FocalPointAid wishes to support their efforts by funding new buildings for the expansion of their program. We are proud of our relationship with such a great success story and hope that you want to join us in our work.
Donate to FocalPointAid and our Amun Shea School Project.
Contact us with any questions or comments.
With recent trips to El Salvador, members of FocalPointAid have developed connections and friendships with a great school program in the small mountain town of Perquin. Amun Shea (land of seeds) is a small school in Morazan, built and run by Ron Brennenman, a former international aid worker from the U.S., and staffed by a handful of dedicated teachers. It is a ray of hope in a region of the world that needs just that.
The school teaches 52 students pre-k through third grade. Although new (the first semester started in February 2008) and experimental in many ways, it is already operating at a high level and holds true to all the ideals of learning and child development that make education paramount in building a strong community. There is a long list of families that want their children to attend Amun Shea next semester. As of now, they are not able to accommodate many more than they already hold.
Click here to see a short video about Amun Shea: http://www.youtube.com/watch\?v=ahYRUDt0y68
Jump to Photo Album
FocalPointAid visits El Salvador.
On our most recent visit to Perquin, we were able to see the school in context of the region’s troubled past. Morazan was a hotspot during the brutal civil war that ended only 16 years ago. The social upheaval and contentious politics that surrounded that war are still defining features of this community. Unfortunately, the education system in El Salvador has not fully developed over the years. In this region for example, students only attend school for 3-hour half day sessions. These public schools have no modern materials, no text books, and teachers that work hard but may not be fully qualified.
After hearing the stories of the families in Perquin and meeting with the parents or guardians of these children, the mission of Amun Shea seems even more important. This school was built with the hope that children of this region reach for a life beyond their current means. The unfortunately trend for youth here is to become laborers that have to travel outside of El Salvador to find work. It has broken up families and crippled an economy. The wish at Amun Shea is to create leaders and inspirational figures of their community.
When members of FocalPointAid first visited El Salvador and Amun Shea this past winter, we knew that we wanted to help this school in any way that we could. When we returned in June, we wanted to roll up our sleeves and lend a hand. We were happily invited visit the school and speak with the teachers. As with other visitors, we were also asked to teach a few classes. We spent a week at the school and introduced the students to dance and photography. Not only were we surprised at the exuberance the children had for these classes, we were absolutely astonished at how quickly their creativity bubbled to the surface. We are thankful to the staff of Amun Shea for the opportunity to share in the education of these amazing children.
To see some of the student’s photography, click here: Pictures
To read more about our trip, click here: Travel Blog
How you can help!
The first semester at Amun Shea started just this winter and has already received recognition for academic achievement. After only one semester it is amazing how well the school runs, how successful the program is and how happy and eager all the children are. The school itself is a humble but well built structure at the end of a dirt road. It has all the facilities that a school requires but not much more. As with many of the schools that we have seen and heard about, they need more materials, more rooms and more teachers.
As we have mentioned, the school only reaches the 3rd grade. As their current students get older, they will need more buildings to house more classes. If Amun Shea cannot expand, this year’s 3rd graders will be forced to return to the vastly inadequate public school system. With your help, FocalPointAid wishes to support their efforts by funding new buildings for the expansion of their program. We are proud of our relationship with such a great success story and hope that you want to join us in our work.
Donate to FocalPointAid and our Amun Shea School Project.
Contact us with any questions or comments.