The organizaton I chose was the International Child Resource Institute [ICRI] found on http://www.icrichild.org/ website. ICRI work to develop the lives of children and families. They concentrate on early childhood care and education, children's rights, empowerment of women and girls, maternal/child health, and grassroots community development. Their programs progress local leadership and encourages public teamwork. Since ICRI was founded in 1981, they have created or worked over 300 programs in over 50 countries, having the aim to empower the community to educate children. They are a highly entrepreneurial organization, and always open to collaborations with other organizations or partners interested in supporting early childhood care and education. In some occassions this organization is able to offer fiscal sponsorship to emerging or organizations that serve children and families. They provide volunteer opportunities for those able to demonstrate a strong level of cultural sensitivity and awareness of local culture and willing volunteers for at least a 3 month period.
Something that caught my attention is ICRI has implemented early childhood education centers and teacher training in Ghana that is having a powerful effect throughout. ICRI has taken over many operations and brought along success. One for example is the Heart Leap School. This Berkeley child care center has been recognized both locally and internationally as a model early childhood program. Hearts Leap utilizes a discovery-based emergent curriculum.
Hi Carlos!
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting and I am especially interested in learning more about this Heart Leap School. We often don't pay much attention to the organizations that work in areas where the education of children is not as easily given the support, tools and teachers needed as in other places. The demands are great, but the reward is too when people come together and work hard for the common cause. I saw you mention that one of the main focuses of ICRI is the encouragement of public teamwork. This is a quality that we should not take lightly in our own communities and should work to copy within our own educational programs.
Jantina Maria Rice