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News Release: Waterloo, ON: SOS's vision is to end child-poverty. This is a big goal. We do our part by assisting our peers in their classes at home and by promoting education in Latin America through our development projects & outreach trips. Fabio Mora, NGO Director of our Costa Rican NGO partner knows the value of education for children: "With an education, they will have the skills to pursue a life without poverty." This past summer, SOS chapters raised money to fund education-based sustainable development projects in Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Honduras. Student volunteers paid their own way to travel to these Latin American communities in order to take part in the physical construction of the projects. Students were able to see how the money they raised in the classroom was used, and they were able to see the direct impact their efforts can have on a community. Peru: This past May, 10 volunteers from Western SOS traveled to the village of Pisco, where they participated in building a community centre where education, childcare, and community gatherings could take place. Western SOS funded the $11,500 project, partnering with the Peruvian-based organization, Awaiting Angels. Together, they were able to use create a beautiful community centre for the residents of Pisco to enjoy. Costa Rica: This past August, Laurier and McGill SOS took on SOS's largest project yet: contributing $33,000 to build a community centre in the village of Poasito. The village was left devastated by an earthquake in February of 2009. Working with the local division of Youth Challenge International, 14 McGill students and 22 Laurier students visited the community and helped build the foundation for the new community centre. Volunteers stayed in a government disaster relief camp, living with people who were displaced by the earthquake. Honduras: Laurier SOS also raised $28,600 for a kindergarten school in the community of Junquillo. Due to political instability in the nation of Honduras, the outreach trip volunteers joined their peers in Costa Rica instead. The project is still under construction by Experience Mission and will be completed by their next school year (February '10). The community is anxious to fill the new school with 40 to 50 students who wouldn't otherwise have access to primary education each year. El Salvador: At the end of August, 14 volunteers from Waterloo and York SOS travelled to the village of El Cedro to help construct and renovate a feeding centre for a school. Partnering with the organization, Feed the Children, the SOS chapters raised $11 000 for the project. The school has an enrollment of roughly 600 children, and being provided with meals at school is the major push for children to attend. The feeding centre will be able to feed over 100 children, three times a week "It was incredibly rewarding," says Ellie Prager, trip participant and Chapter President of York SOS. "Things that are tiny in the grand scheme-pouring some concrete, painting some bricks-can go an unbelievably long way. The community members we spoke to were genuinely heartened and encouraged by our presence there, appreciating the human investment we were making. The school principal threw us a party, where we danced to blasting music in the school yard!"
About Students Offering Support: SOS: Students Offering Support is a national charitable organization that raises money to raise roofs through raising marks during our 'Exam-AID' review sessions. The money raised is spent creating sustainable education projects in developing nations. SOS is a network of over 500 student volunteers across Canada who have taught 4000 students and raised $240,000 for development projects over the last 5 years. For more information, contact Nicole at media@studentsofferingsupport.ca |
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