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The
Ravelo Zone
The
Ravelo zone consists of a number of tiny communities all centered
around the actual town of Ravelo which boasts a police center, a
small hospital, and a complete high school. While most of the residents
of the surrounding communities have lived in these hills for generations,
the actual town of Ravelo supports a surprising stratosphere of
people from the upper classes to the lower classes. This mix has
been a precursor to the division that exists in the community.
While
many in Ravelo are fairly well off, the campesinos who have lived
there for generations struggle with providing food and clothing
for their children. There is a high rate of school absenteeism and
a low rate of females who make it past primary school.
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Spiritual
In
general, what do the children know about Jesus?
Most
families in the community practice a mixture of Catholicism and
the native religion of Pachamama (Mother Earth). While many children
have had some exposure to Bible stories, few understand its central
message. However, Bible teaching is an integral part of FHI’s
Child Development Program.
What
are the key obstacles – especially beliefs in church, community,
family – that most hinder children from knowing God and his
design for their lives?
Two
basic problems exist:
Beliefs
and traditions: Local people believe that many gods exist and
that a person needs to please all of them so as not to upset them.
Because of this, they celebrate many religious and pagan feasts.
Some of these are: Carnaval, the holiday of San Bartolo, the Feast
of Quasimodo, the holiday of San Michael,etc. These holidays and
feasts pose an obstacle for children and their families to come
to know Jesus Christ.
A
well established church does not exist: There is no a church with
a full-time pastor. This prohibits real maturity within the church
as meetings tend to be sporatic and a lack of leadership has resulted
in a lot of division. Believers in the community are not equipped
with the resources needed to grow in understanding of the Bible
and in maturity in their relationship with God.
Is
there a group of believers (church) in the community? How many children
and families are participating in it?
There
is a group of believers that functions as a cell group. It’s
mother church is the “Temple of Faith”. It has not
been officially designated a church yet. A total of seven families
attend the group. There are six children within these families.
How
is the church reaching out?
The “Temple of Faith” church (located in Sucre) holds
prayer groups in some communities. Every two years there is an
evangelistic campaign.
How
is the church discipling the community and the children?
The church is currently not involved in discipling the community.
What
other resources besides the CDP funding and staff (e.g. other group,
FHI programs) are available to help achieve the desired change in
this area in this community?
The Temple of Faith Church of Sucre has voluntarily joined with
FHI in the Ravelo Zone to help develop the church there. FHI also
has Agriculture and Health programs in the community.
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Educational
What
education resources and services are currently available to the
children in this community (schools, rooms, teachers, government
support, etc)?
The
community of Ravelo has a primary and secondary school with completed
infrastructure. There is government funding for education in Ravelo.
The main problem is that children from communities all around
attend the school, and many have to walk long distances. This
is why the construction of a boarding house is under consideration.
What
are the key obstacles – especially beliefs in church, community,
family – that most hinder children from attending and completing
primary and secondary school?
Neglect
on the part of the parents - This generally occurs in periods
of sowing and harvesting, when parents either partially abandon
their children while they spend long periods of time in the fields
or bring them with them to work, thus keeping them from their
classes.
Lack
of will in the child – This is a consequence of neglect
on the part of the parents and the lack of support with regard
to providing school materials necessary to promote full participation
in class.
Economic
problems - Since this community is characterized by its extreme
poverty conditions, sources of employment are not available and
most of the inhabitants devote themselves to small-scale agriculture
activities, which does not provide sufficiently for other basic
needs such as studying.
Social
and cultural factors – There are many deep-rooted customs
and social mores that hinder the education of the children, and
in particular of girls due to the prevalence of ‘machismo’,
which increases the incidence of female absenteeism in school.
Most local people also consume large amounts of alcoholic beverages,
especially during feasts and holidays, where they often spend
all their earnings from the crops and leave little for the purchase
of school materials for their children, and frequently even for
their own nourishment.
Lack
of parental and teacher guidance - The children, adolescents and
youth do not receive a meaningful and adequate direction from
their parents and their teachers to motivate them to continue
studying.
Lack
of nutrition - The children do not receive adequate nutrition.
This in turn affects the normal development of the child reducing
his or her school performance levels.
How
many children who start primary school actually complete primary
school? How many children who start primary school actually complete
secondary school?
The data provided by the school Director of Ravelo shows that
of 105 children that enroll in the primary school only 70 (67%)
finish it. Figures get worse for the secondary. Of 17 students
enrolled, only 5 (34%) graduate.
What
are the key obstacles – especially beliefs in church, community,
family – that most hinder children from getting a quality
education?
Lack
of training and up-dating for the teacher
Lack of adequate equipment for the school
Teachers´s union strikes and protests
Malnutrition in students
Lack of support from the parents
What other resources besides CDP funding and
staff are available to help achieve the educational result in the
zone of Ravelo?
The
local government of the area and the NGO Polytechnic Institute
Tupac Katari have actively participated in education improvement
programs. However, this NGO is in the process of leaving the zone.
FHI continues to partner with the local government.
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Physical / Health
What
health resources and services are currently available to children
and their families in the zone of Ravelo?
Ravelo
has a local hospital (Hospital San Miguel) which attends emergencies
and provides basic health care. There are two medical doctors
and a nurse available in the hospital.
What
are the health issues – especially beliefs in church, community,
family – that most seriously affect and limit the children
in this community?
-
Colds and the flu affect children on a regular basis. Due to a
lack of nutrition and hygienic practices, children are often more
susceptible to common viruses.
- A lack of potable water along with a lack of a sewage system
add to the high rate of gastrointestinal illnesses.
- There is an overall lack of education about hygienic health
practices.
What
are the key obstacles that most hinder improving health for children?
Cultural
factors characterized by an animistic worldview
Lack of equipment and resources for the health center
Lack of State assistance
Lack of economic resources
Lack of health education
What
other resources besides CDP funding and staff and those mentioned
above are available to help achieve the desired result in health?
There
is a work coordination in health among FHI, the NGO Polytechnic
Institute Tupac Katari and the Hospital San Miguel. This coordination
happens mostly to develop training of Community Health Workers.
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Emotional, Relational, Social
What are the key obstacles – especially beliefs and attitudes
– in the family, the church and among leaders that most seriously
affect the children in this area
Family
issues:
Along
with extreme poverty, which affects 79% of the population, many
families also suffer from alcoholism (26%), domestic violence
(56%) and broken homes (42%). This affects children at many levels.
Fatalism is rampant resulting in a lack of initiative on the part
of both parents and children to seek development. Many health
problems are understood as being the result of having angered
a god.
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Vocational
What
are the key obstacles – especially beliefs and attitudes -
in the family, the school, the church that most hinder children
from developing their creative skills, talents and vocational abilities?
As
in most of the rural communities of Bolivia, isolation and tradition
exert a damaging effect on the children of Ravelo. Isolation prevents
children from exposure to other realities, so there is little
room to grow and adapt to new, innovative ideas and practices
which lead to development. In Ravelo this condition is not as
bad as it normally is, as there exist commercial relations with
the city of Sucre. However it is still a problem if we consider
the traditional component. At the family level, parents tend to
strongly impose models and ideas which prohibit the development
of certain creative talents such as literature and the educational
advancement of females. Recently the school has taken steps to
promote talents by co-organizing a poetry contest which was very
well received by the community. The Evangelical church is practically
non existent in the educational aspect. The Catholic church is
passive in its approach.
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Exit Strategy
When
will FHI withdraw from involvement in this project?
Our
intention is to leave Ravelo in 2015.
What
factor/s will determine when it is time to exit the project?
Basically
that the church is mature enough to nurture their children on
a consistent basis and that the community leaders are ready to
carry out a the vision they have for their community.
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