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Author: Michael Field
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I have been interning at Fundacion COINED and working with the kids at
Oportunidad Educativa for about two months and I can honestly say that
this has been an eye opening experience. These kids are so bright and
full of happiness.
There are so many kids who just need the
opportunity to study, it is amazing how self motivated these kids are.
Argentina is an interesting country caught somewhere in between the
third world and the first world. The City of Cordoba is full of
intelligent people, yet to me it seems people here are extremely
cynical, and for good reason. The government has lacked stability for
years and many children pay the consequences. Similar to many other
places in the world, poverty is a cycle and the government makes
promises they don't keep.
Give an opportunity helps to fill the shoes
of financial instability in the government. Change only comes through
individual action and everyone I have worked with has shown me on a
daily basis why I am here trying to affect the lives of as many
children as possible. Children don't choose where they are born or who
there parents are.
One of my strongest convictions is that every kid
has the same right to decent education that includes much more than
textbooks. The scholars are able to experience a new world
demonstrating to them that they should have higher expectations for
their future. Every one of these kids deserves an opportunity to reach
their goals, and they have showed me how bad they want to reach their
goals. |
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By Yanina Maturano; ex scholar who spent 3 years in the program.
Hi, I am Yanina, ex
scholar of GO Give an Opportunity, and I am 19 years old. I finished high school 2 years ago thanks to this program..
When I finished junior high,
I didn’t know or I hadn’t thought about any future for my life, when a
psychology teacher took me out of class an asked me if I was going to continue
my education.My response was:a moment of silence and after a few seconds I
said that I would like to at least finish my high school.
After a few days
people from the COINED Foundation, one of them Maria Laura and others came to
school.They explained to me together
with other kids why we where there in that meeting; both my mom and I couldn’t
understand.
That day was the day
that they gave me the news that I could make my dream come true, to finish my
high school.Even though for some
circumstances of life I haven’t been able to start university, today my
expectations in life are different from that of many kids that today think
about how they are going to go by through that day alive.
Today’s society is not
easy to overcome, and the fact that you, who help this program, are today
giving your grain of sand, whether it is monetary or with voluntary help, it is
very significant in our lives.
Today I am not in the
program, since I am not studying, and I believe that the kids that are
currently in it and the future ones, at the beginning don’t understand, just
like me at the beginning, the importance of studying which is to say that “I do
it for my own satisfaction to have something of my own in the future, I won it
with the sweat of my forehead.”
Today with my 19 years
of age, I am already saving up to have my own home.Even though I don’t have a job, the little
that I earn doing jobs on the computer for other people, I save it and I help
my mom.My family is composed of 6
children and my mother, and even though my father is not with us and we seldom
see him, many are in the same situation or worse. And even though we don’t have extra money and
sometimes we don’t have enough, I consider myself rich in regards to my family
which I love and take care of dearly, friends who I help and I am here for when
they need me.
To have you read this
makes me feel good because I can share my happiness and wellbeing with people that
can help other kids like me to write something like me in the future. And to make them, that have no expectations
for the future of their lives, to have one.
SPANISH VERSION:
Hola soy Yanina ex becada de oportunidad
educativa, tengo19 años. Termine el colegio hace dos años gracias a este programa. Cuando terminé
el CBU, no sabía o no tenía pensado ninguno futuro para mi vida; cuando una
profesora de psicología me sacó del horario de clase y me pregunto que si iba a
seguir el colegio. Mi respuesta: fue un
momento de silencio, y después de unos segundos dije me gustaría por lo menos
poder terminar el secundario.
Después de unos dias llegaron personas de la Fundacin Coined, una de ellas fue María Laura y otras personas. Nos explicaron junto a
otros chicos el porque estábamos en esa reunión, tanto yo como mi mamá estábamos
desconcertadas. Ese día me dieron la
noticia de podía hacerse realidad mi sueño de poder tener mis estudios completos,
si bien hoy por ciertas cuestiones de la vida no he podido empezar la facultad,
hoy mi expectativa de vida es diferente a la de tantos chicos que hoy piensan
en poder pasar el día con vida.
La sociedad de hoy no es fácil de sobrellevar
y el que ustedes, quienes ayudan a este programa, estén hoy aportando su
granito de arena ya se con dinero o con la ayuda que estén aportando, es muy
significativo en nuestras vidas.
Hoy yo no estoy más en el programa, ya que no
estoy estudiando, y creo que los chicos que están actualmente y los que vayan a
estar, al principio no entienden, como yo en un principio, la importancia de
estudiar y decir yo lo hago por una satisfacción propia de tener en el día de
mañana lo mío, lo gane con el sudor de mi frente.
Hoy con mis 19 años, ya estoy ahorrando para
tener mi casa, aunque no tengo trabajo, pero lo poco que gano haciendo trabajos
en la computadora para otras personas, lo guardo y ayudo a mi mamá; mi familia
esta compuesta por 6hijos y mi mamá, y aunque mi papá no este con nosotros y lo
vemos poco, muchos están en la misma o peor situación, y aunque el dinero no
nos sobra y a veces nos falta, me considero rica, en los aspectos de mi familia
a la cual valoro y cuido mucho, amigos a los cuales ayudo y estoy para cuando me
necesitan; y el que ustedes estén leyendo esto me hace sentir bien porque puedo
compartir mi felicidad y bienestar con gente que puede hacer que otros chico
como yo puedan más adelante escribir lo mismo. Y hacer que aquellos que no
tienen ninguna expectativa para un futuro mejor para sus vidas las tengan.
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Trip to Washington DC by Shayne Trimbell (Events Coordinator for GO Give an Opportunity)
Sunday July 22, 2007
We left early in the morning
for a day trip to Washington, D.C. Our agenda was to meet people that
could help to grow GO - Give an Opportunity, and to seek inspiration
for what the future may hold in store.
With the weather on our side, and the sun giving off the perfect
amount of heat we had a peaceful drive south. Due to a navigational
misunderstanding, we decided to take the scenic route into D.C. via
Alexandria, VA. Although slightly longer, our route took us right
through the Washington Mall. It proved to be a wonderful detour.
Our first stop was in the Adam's Morgan district to meet friends
Jennifer and Kurt. As this was the first face to face meeting for all
of us, slight apprehension was in the air prior to contact. With
smiles and hand shakes, we knew immediately things would go well. We
took a walking tour of this district known as a hot spot for the
mid-twenties, we stopped for coffee at a popular cafe. The name
exscapes me. The discussion was light. Both Jennifer and Kurt work
for the United Nations in a philantropic position. Both have
experience in organizing events and coordinating with groups. The
information ad discussion was very beneficial and certainly helpful to
meet people of more experience. Although we did not spend an extended
time with Jennifer and Kurt, they shared enthusiasm for GO and are
willing to help in any capacity they are suited.
Our day was far from over after our first social call. Our
afternoon brought us to Capital Hill where we met Robert. Robert is a
sponsor of one to the children in Argentina. He met us carrying an
Argentinean flag and greeted us incredibly welcoming. Robert was kind
enough to lead us on a tour of his favorite places in D.C.
To list the sites we saw would take far too long, however Robert treated us to his favorite tapas restaurant, Jaleo; thank you Robert! We
ate and discussed. Robert is a very nice person, friendly and hoping to be able to help a lot of children! We enjoyed spending the afternoon with him and we hope to stay in contact.
At the close of the afternoon, we loaded back in to the car and
began our trip north. With a head full of newly forming ideas, and a
long ride to discuss them, we agreed that this trip was beneficial to
the development of GO. It was a pleasure to spend the day in
Washington, and we would certainly like to tell you more about it! |
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If every one of us just gave .01% of our knowledge to work for a social project, there is so much that would come out! We would be able to cross mountains, explore rivers, make children smile, make children laugh.
It is incredible to see all the potencial each and every one of us have and sometimes we don't put to use.
So the idea now is, GIVE. Give to feel better, give to receive later, give to teach, give to..... whatever is valid. But do it and do it now!
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| Sometimes I ask myself “how come I had a chance to go to University, how come I had a chance to eat every day, to have a warm home,” and so many other people didn’t!
Who makes the rules? Who gets to decide who is able to have a home and who isn’t. Is this being fair to the society?
When a child is born, they don’t choose to be a rich family’s baby or a poor family’s baby, the baby can’t choose. Should anybody have the right to choose? But I thought we where all the same, I thought “man” was all the same.
So one of my objectives is to give others the opportunities that I had. To teach them what I learned and give them the happiness that I have. That is why on our Saturday meetings, besides going to class, besides working doing school work, we got together with the kids and just analyzed different important issues. Issues of life in general, issues about education, difference in cultures and any other topic that arouse during that Saturday. This was a way to reach their hearts and let them know that we where all equal.
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I started this project “Oportunidad Educativa” when I was
living in Argentina
together with another group of volunteers who are still working hard with these
kids.
One of the activities we do with the oldest ones, is to teach them how to use
the computer, what resources there are, to type, to print and all the useful
knowledge they will need to know when they grow and will need to get a job.
So, before I left Argentina,
July 2005, I taught them how to chat on MSN. Some of them are quite
excited with the new tool and connect once in a while which is for me very
gratifying. Ma. Eugenia, one of the girls that has been in the
program for 4 years and has finished high school has left me a message saying
she has started university. This was for me like fulfilling a mother's
dream, seeing their daughter go to college.
If college is hard for any student, imagine for M. Eugenia who has parents that
do not know how to read and write, she has never gone even close to see the
university and her social class level is lower than the rest of the students in
the class.
But yet, she has started and we will support her on everything she might need
until she finished this goal which might mean a new life for her!
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The purpose of this Blog is to help communication between people interested in helping others, helping children in other countries and knowing a little more about the crisis found all over!
Personally, I have experienced the life of many of our children who we support and I can tell you they are children just like we where. The only difference is that they had the bad luck to be born within a family that was not educated and lived in the "barrios" so that is what they live in now.
Some of these children are bright, some of these children are very athletic, and some of these children are full of love to give.... we just have to give them a chance. A chance to prove themselves, a chance to see the world, learn and then evolve into what they expect to be in the future.
So I am putting all my efforts to make this happen, I will do anything to help these children finish their school, then go to university and then see them grow in a proper society.
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