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Helping Hands School Campaign

MADRE supports educational programs for women and children in Nicaragua, Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, and Peru.

These programs lack access to basic supplies and resources. You can help by collecting supplies at your school or in your community. Every child deserves the chance of a brighter future.

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Wangki Tangni in Waspam, Nicaragua

Empowering Indigenous Peoples through collective skill-building and education

Wangki Tangni ("Flower of the River" in Miskitu) is a community development organization run by and for Indigenous Peoples in Waspam, on the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. Wangki Tangni provides health, educational, and vocational services to local communities, and runs an income-generating women's sewing collective and a sustainable agriculture project for local farmers.

• More than 40 children participate in Wangki Tangni's art and early-education program, which teaches: basic literacy, painting, drawing, and collage-making.

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LUNDU in Lima, Peru

Afro-Peruvian youth combating sexism and racism through drama and dialogue

LUNDU, an organization of Afro-Peruvian youth, works to promote recognition and respect for Peru's Afro-descendant peoples and combat racism and sexism in Peruvian society. Through programs in community schools that promote Afro-Peruvian culture and youth self-esteem, LUNDU also publishes a magazine written by young people and elders to foster inter-generational exchange.

• LUNDU organizes recreational and cultural activities for children in community schools.


© LUNDU

• Through LUNDU's workshop, Afro Women and Identity: Myths and Realities, young women use masks to challenge racist images of Afro-Peruvians and connect to Afro-Peruvian cultural history.

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Indigenous Information Network in Umoja, Kenya

Creating educational opportunities for Indigenous children in rural Kenya

The Indigenous Information Network (IIN) works to develop connections between Indigenous groups in Kenya and support local Indigenous organizations. IIN supports a pre-school in the community of Umoja ("unity" in Swahili). The school serves children from several surrounding communities, offering quality early-childhood education, including basic literacy skills to prepare them for primary school.

• IIN promotes education as a basic human right among nomadic, pastoral communities.
• The pre-school provides Indigenous
  children with a creative learning environment
  and the tools they need to learn and grow.

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Taller de Vida in Bogota, Colombia

Providing academic support and counseling through art to children in Colombia

Over one million children have been displaced by war and poverty in Colombia. The ongoing violence forces children to flee their homes, schools, and communities. Taller de Vida helps young people cope with the trauma of war and gain practical skills and education in order to catch up on missed schooling. Through an after-school art-education program that serves former child soldiers and those at risk of forced recruitment, young people envision and create a more peaceful world.

• Books for a Brighter Tomorrow promotes education and literacy through a tutoring and mentoring program and a lending library.
• Through counseling, art, and education, the youth at Taller de Vida are able to work through the trauma of their past, build a supportive community, and gain the hope and skills to build a brighter future.

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Bárcenas Maquila Workers' Committee in Bárcenas, Guatemala

Improving the quality of life and creating educational opportunities for women and children in a marginalized community

The Bárcenas Maquila Workers' Committee is run by and for women maquila (sweatshop) workers. An unplanned neighborhood on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Bárcenas lacks infrastructure and basic municipal services. The Committee is dedicated to meeting immediate needs and providing opportunities for women and young people in the community. It offers free community health fairs and trainings on labor rights, health, and computer literacy.

The Bárcenas Committee offers tutoring, art, and computer-literacy courses for young people.

• The computer school enables young people to learn skills that can enable them to find work outside of the exploitative maquila sector.
• Younger children receive early-childhood education and literacy instruction.

The Bárcenas Committee gives children a safe place to learn and play, as well as a head start on a better life.

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Sign up to collect supplies at your school or in your community.