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Partnership Schools Update
COPA aims to provide help and support to a number of the local schools (known as 'Partnership Schools') and this relatively new venture had had a difficult start to the new academic year, particularly due to the bad weather. This resulted in many teachers and children suffering with flu and a very virulent form of conjunctivitis, but also they had to deal with "millions of mosquitoes" district meetings for teachers about pay discontent and closures due to religious holidays.
Hato Viejo School is now part of in the partnership project and last year's summer work teams turned the school into a bright, sunny and welcoming environment. The children loved the repaired play equipment and everyone appreciate the newly constructed toilets and functioning water system.
Habanero Primary has also benefited from installed water tanks and piped water to the toilet block. All three schools benefit from a regular input by Lauren Stubbings, (Project Trust volunteer) who is teaching English to Grade 4’s and art and craft activities to all age groups. Her displays have also helped to brighten up the classrooms as COPA volunteers continue to work with the teachers about the value of displays as a learning resource.
This is going to be a very challenging year but COPA will continue to support, encourage and lead by example in order to try and raise standards of teaching and create a more interesting learning environment for the students.
Destinations of COPA school leavers
It is always interesting to find out what has happened to previous students of the schools and the progress they have made. A number of students have graduated from medical school and want to work in communities to improve healthcare standards. Engineering is a popular choice by many former COPA students. Some have returned to work for COPA including Rosalba Perez, who studied psychology in Santo Domingo after she finished High School. She now works in COPA Bombita as the school’s psychologist and is charge of two youth groups in the La Hoyan community. Another group of ex-COPA students hope to graduate this summer after completing their studies in a range of subjects such as IT, engineering, tourism and medicine.
Click here for other news stories from this year or click on one of the links below to download a newsletter.
Further newsletters will be available for downloading soon.