USDOL CONFERENCE JUNE 2011

Sustainability Breakout Session

The Wiñari Project Experience Ecuador

Contents of the presentation• Background• Sustainability scope • Strategy and actions• Actual Situation • Main challenges

Background

• The Wiñari Project was implemented in Ecuador from October 2005 to September 2009, with an extension phase until Mayo 2010

• The implementing institutions were World Learning & Desarrollo y Autogestión -DYA-

• The project was aimed at preventing and withdrawing indigenous children from child labor (6,300 children)

Background

Through 3 components:1. Educational opportunities• Appropriate educational opportunities provided according to

specific educational and labor conditions of targeted child laborers and at risk children

2. Awareness Raising about the effects of child labor on the right to education raised

among families, community leaders, teachers and children.

3. Institutional: Child labor issues incorporated by local and national institutions

and indigenous organizations in their agendas

Sustainability scope:Initial considerations: • Sustainability is not just a financial issue• It has also technical, operational and cultural

dimensions (very important to address in our case)• Not all the components/actions of the project can be

sustained after its termination, so it is necessary to prioritize key lines of work.

• No action can be sustained if it is not valued and taken ownership of by indigenous organizations, communities and families.

• The project action areas were by definition poor and underserved; the project operation was temporary and with limited resources. Therefore, a strategy of institutional partnerships at the local level had to be the key elements of implementation.

Sustainability scope:

• All civil society organizations/NGOs set a goal that the local government and/or the National government take over their actions.

• What could be so unique, irreplaceable, indispensable, so that this could be true in our case?

• What child labor & education related issues were significant; haven´t been addressed before and should be a matter of public policy?

Sustainability scope:

• The first step was to collect sound information that would enable us to characterize the labor and education status of indigenous child workers.

• The data was collected and disseminated together with the indigenous organizations, which allowed for an initial level of commitment and understanding of the problems and proposals.

• The proposal design was carried out, based upon the characteristics of the indigenous child workers:

Strategies and actions

Accelerated primary school program

Accelerated Junior High Program

After school Support program

Reinforcement program to facilitate Transition

Improving senior high technical school

School drop out

Severe age gap (primary) Severe age gap (Junior High)

Too many hours of labor

School drop out after finalizing primary school

Poor educational quality in high school

Immediate reinsertion

EDUCATIONAL OFFERING OF THE WIÑARI PROJECT AS A FUNCTION OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TARGET POPULATION

Percentageindigenous mestizo total

% % %No age gap 20,1 56,3 54,91-2 years 46,2 28,2 28,83 & more 33,7 15,6 16,2total 100,0 100,0 100,0

Children indigenous mestizo total

Children Children Children No age gap 16.986 1.268.232 1.285.218 1-2 years 39.096 635.242 674.337 3 & more 28.453 350.886 379.338 total 84.534 2.254.359 2.338.893

Sourtce: Living conditions survey, INEC 2005-2006Elaboración: DYA

School age gap by ethnicity National: Children 10 to years

This was a huge gap, a massive problem that needed response and that had to be addressed by public policies.

How?: By phases:The first step was to develop a model, test it

in the field, produce concrete tools to put the model into practice (methodologies to make diagnostic assessments and identify beneficiaries, curricula design, production of educational materials, legal approval, management system, monitoring system, etc.) (1 and ½ year)

Second phase: Propose the model to the National Institute of Children

and Family –INFA- (in charge of children’s policies in Ecuador)

Reach agreements (especially budgetary and administrative issues)

Select areas for piloting the model

Train local and national staff in the accelerated methodology (transfer)

Third phase: Implement the model in conjunction with local staff of INFA

Test the methodology in the public sector and adapt it to local conditions. (2 years)

4th phase: Turn the Accelerated learning program into a MOE

public offer.

WHAT WE PLANNED WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

• INFA proposes the accelerated learning program for working children to the MoE• Start the design of a national plan to eradicate child labor through education, placing special emphasis on those working children who were out of school and severely over aged.

• INFA proposed the model to the MOE.The MOE officially launched the design of the plan •We started with a piloting experience in the city of Manta. The MOE paid the teacher´s salaries; DYA provided technical assistance and

• The plan included the analysis of national data; estimation of budget needs; teachers; managerial system and coordination with other public and private institutions.

And… major authorities from both institution were removed. While INFA continued interested and applying the methodology in the sierra region, the new authorities in the MOE paid no attention to the previous planning.

WHAT WE PLANNED WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

•But at the same time, the Municipality of Quito (Capital) based its inclusive education initiative on the Accelerated learning model.

•Scale up the model though local governments

At the current time over 10 Municipalities, 2 national public institutions and 4 private organizations (including private companies) are applying the accelerated model.

•Let the local governments (especially Quito) put pressure on the MOE

The Municipality of Quito started a coordination process with the MOE and was able to “revive” the whole processCurrently the MOE is financing ½ of all the operational costs of the program.

There was a new educational reform in Ecuador; our work with local governments enabled us to coordinate the design of the new curricula for the accelerated learning program together with the MOE.

Current situation No. Institution Number of Children Budget

1 INFA 800 820.000,00 2 Plan Ecuador 600 403.800,00 Local Governments 3 Quito 2590 1.059.000,00

6San Lorenzo, Eloy Alfaro &

Rioverde 400 66.000,00 7 Naranjal 75 17.280,00 8 Huaquillas 60 17.280,00 9 Otavalo 100 300.000,00

10 El Triunfo 75 17.280,00 11 Manta 208 114.000,00 Private sector

12 Save the Children UK 106.000,00 13 Holcim 159 154.000,00 14 Citotusa 60.000,00

Total 4908 3.134.640,00

Bolivia We applied the lessons learned from Ecuador in

Bolivia, and conducted a similar process:Build the model and test it in the field Base its operation on the social foundations of

indigenous organizations, so that they demand the service from the government

Strengthen local capacities

We also learned from our mistakes and the project is designed so that working with the Ministry of Education starts from the 1st year

Main challenges:

• Constant changes in the public institutions authorities: this has severe effects on the established timetables.

• There is even a high risk that the work already done is cut off.

• Administrative structure of the state: slow and bureaucratic.

• To rethink the role of NGOs in a context of profound change in the Ecuadorian state.