Featured, Roddenberry Fellowship
PROBLEM:
Remote indigenous communities throughout Latin America do not have access to formal education. A combination of distance, cost and indigenous language barriers have prevented both governments and NGOs from providing education to these communities. For those who can access education, the curriculums rarely incorporate local cultural norms or local indigenous languages, limiting the accessibility and success rates of students.
Solution: Alma Children’s Education Foundation will develop localized curricula that draws from local contexts, mores, and languages for indigenous communities, using a combination of informal and oral education. These curricula will maintain and protect cultural references and indigenous languages, as well as allow for remote monitoring and evaluations of progress being made.
What makes this approach different? The solution will reach thousands of communities that have historically been viewed as ‘too remote’ or ‘too expensive’ to reach. The curriculum is a new approach to indigenous education – it will be developed locally, in partnership with indigenous communities, and driven by local needs. Unlike a singular approach from an NGO, Alma’s Education Foundation will require collaboration between the communities, NGOs and local governments placing community members at the helm of their education.
