“Escuela Busca al Niño” is an innovative, public, inter-institutional strategy whose mission is to incorporate children who live on the streets and are forced to work, back into the educational system.  The program has been promoted by UNICEF and has been successfully executed in cities such as Armenia, Yumbo, and Medellin.

The first of the program’s three phases calls for children who are not currently in school to be identified and evaluated, thereby determining not only their reason for having dropped out but their specific needs as well. In the program’s second phase, the academic playing field between these students and their peers is leveled through intensive tutoring and instruction, while paying special attention to each student’s individual progress and level of interest. In the third and final phase, children are reintegrated into the educational system followed by the implementation of a strategy to ensure they remain in school.  This is a collaborative effort between the student, his or her family, and the institution to ensure a proper fit.  

Genesis’ support allowed the implementation of all three phases of “Escuela Busca al Niño” in the city of Ipiales, Nariño, guaranteeing access to education; allowing increased teacher training, materials, and psycho-social support for the children and their families.

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