VRIO - Juntos Aprendemos

OVERVIEW

The Together We Learn Activity (Juntos Aprendemos) increases children and adolescents’  access to quality education in target cities impacted by migration. The activity helps children and adolescents between the ages of 3 to 17 develop skills needed for learning and future success by improving their participation, retention, and performance in school. The activity also works with local and national actors such as the Ministry of Education, local Secretariats of Education, the Colombian Family Welfare Institute, civil society organizations (CSOs) and target schools to understand and address children and adolescents’ barriers to accessing education. The activity is implemented in areas with large populations of Venezuelan migrants and Colombian returnees, including Barranquilla, Bogota, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Cucuta, Medellin, Riohacha, and Santa Marta. The Together We Learn Activity runs from February 2021 to December 2026.

GOALS

IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL QUALITY

Together We Learn supports the development of learning environments that are safe, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of children and adolescents with a focus on migration dynamics. It does this by strengthening local and national government actors’ capacity to provide quality education, and by strengthening school leaders and educators’ capacities to deliver improved instruction in foundational skills, like literacy, numeracy, and social and emotional learning.

INCREASE ACCESS TO EDUCATION

Together We Learn works with CSOs and local governments to increase the number of enrolled migrant children and adolescents, and ensure students complete their educational trajectories. The activity focuses on identifying issues and generating solutions to overcome barriers that affect the access and continuity of students in the education system. Examples of this include raising awareness within the broader educational community to facilitate access for migrant and returnee children, and implementing flexible educational strategies for those who are lagging behind or are older than the standard age for their grade.

STRENTHEN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Together We Learn empowers community actors, like parent associations and CSOs, to engage in education-related decision making and service delivery. The activity also increases family and caregiver’s engagement in student learning, social cohesion, and develops community activities that bring together children, adolescents, families, schools, and businesses in receptor communities.

KEY RESULTS 

• Expanded and strengthened formal accelerated  education models  to generate opportunities for thousands of at-risk students;
• Strengthened the capacities of local partners Fundación Carvajal, Fundación ProAntioquia, and Corporación Parque Explora;
• Strengthened local educational authorities’ capacities to close learning gaps, promote inclusion, increase student retention in school, enhance the socio-emotional well-being of the educational community, and identify and tackle challenges affecting migrant population;
• Developed teachers' and families' capacities and skills to support learners and foster healthier learning environments;
• Collaborated with the Ministry of Education and Secretaries of Education to design and implement educational public policies that promote access and retention of migrant and returnee children to the Colombian educational system.