Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.

Isa Mundo Foundation has focused on education as a way out of poverty and can improve future economic situations of individuals and communities.  The UN estimates that close to half of the world's population currently lives on US$2 a day and in many regions, a sustainable employment may not be enough to get above the poverty line.

Facts and Figures from the UN include:

• Global unemployment increased from 170 million in 2007 to nearly 202 million in 2012, of which about 75 million are young women and men.

• Nearly 2.2 billion people live below the US$2 poverty line and that poverty eradication is only possible through stable and well-paid jobs.

• 470 million jobs are needed globally for new entrants to the labour market between 2016 and 2030. (www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment)

The challenge remains to create quality jobs where people can thrive and countries focus on stimulating the economy while developing safe working conditions for all.  Based on our own capacity as a small non profit organization, Isa Mundo will continue to provide educational opportunities for students in less fortunate communities. By ensuring that children have access to tools and resources to reach their full potential - we hope to contribute to improving their economic situations in the future.

To learn more about Goal #8, click on the poster Decent Work and Economic Growth: Why it Matters.

Free Geek Vancouver

We wanted to also give a huge shout out to Free Geek Vancouver - an awesome non-profit organization, community based and committed to reduce environmental impacts of electronics by recycling and donating technological tools to those who need it most.  They don't just focus on helping other non-profits but also support job skills training, Internet access and provide low cost tech supplies to the general public.

Free Geek supports free and open source software when possible and "promote the open source movement through transparent collaboration with others"

We would like to thank Adrian Wong and his team at Free Geek Vancouver for partnering with us and donating some much needed laptops to our schools in Mexico.  We look forward to partnering with them again in the future.

To learn more about Free Geek Vancouver and its work, please visit their website at:  freegeekvancouver.org

Boca de Tomatlan - Education Project

Isa Mundo Foundation visited Boca de Tomatlan and a start up education project focusing on English literacy and introduction to use of technology (laptops) and education software and tools to improve education attainment.

The objective is to launch the education project in partnership with the elementary school in the village and eventually having local teachers lead and manage the program with resource support from school district and other non profit organizations working in the area.

Isa Mundo is committed to support the school and current project leader (Cynthia Leigh) to deliver this project to the community.  As Cynthia stated " ... the main goal is to afford the children the opportunity to dream of brighter futures and giving them the support they need to continue with their educational goals."

We look forward to working in partnership with Cynthia and her team on this new education project in Mexico.

Happy Holidays

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Happy Holidays and all the best iin 2018!

We had a very successful 2017 and thankful to our supporters, long term volunteers, new partners, friends and families who continue to believe in what we are trying to accomplish.

We wish everyone a peaceful, joyful and prosperous New Year!

Cheers!


 Photo courtesy of  https://twitter.com/unpublications

Yelapa School

In the past year, we have been in discussion with educators in Yelapa, Mexico to launch a new education project in this village located within the Bay of Banderas (Puerto Vallarta region). We have sent two volunteers to assess the situation and capacity of the school and its supporters and believe that there is an opportunity to begin a partnership in the coming year. 

Yelapa is one of the few remaining "Communidas" in Mexico, a population of approximately 2,000 that is located on the coast line south of Puerto Vallarta. Accessible only by boat and water taxi, there are no roads into the village and people still rely on horses, mules, wheelbarrows and more recently ATVs for transportation. It was not until 2001 that Yelapa was able to access electricity for the first time bringing with it communication (telephone) and internet connection that significantly shifted the way villagers lived their lives. 

Yelapa remains a small, unique and diverse community. There is a strong and vibrant population living along the Tuito river, which divides the town from the beach and river neighborhoods. Like all communities, it has its disparity, not only in the standard of living and opportunities available to children and families but also barrier to accessing resources for learning and higher education due to its geographical isolation.

Teachers and volunteers are committed to ensure that students in Yelapa receive basic primary education in the village, without having to travel to Puerto Vallarta or other colonias.  We are supportive of improving the school curriculum and providing technological supplies within our capacity. During the November project site visit initiative - Isa Mundo was able to donate the first batch of laptops to Yelapa as a gesture of goodwill and continue discussions on the potential launch of the first Isa Mundo Education Centre in the village of Yelapa.

Mexico Project Site Visits

We are set to return to Mexico and in the beautiful and culturally rich state of Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta region.  Isa Mundo projects in the area have become example of success stories for the Foundation where our school projects are doing well, child centred facilities are built and new projects continue to be launched.  Non profit organizations are well supported in the region with international volunteer groups providing additional support.

We will be visiting Pasitos de Luz (Casa Connor) and a new education project in Boca de Tomatlan. We will be donating much needed laptops to a school in Yelapa and hope to officially launch a project in the village in the near future. We will provide update on site as we meet up with our dedicated friends and partners in Mexico.

Gracias

Career Highlight - Andrée Lacasse

Isa Mundo Foundation Co-Founder, Andrée Lacasse - was recently highlighted by University of Victoria's School of Child and Youth Care for her dedication to Isa Mundo's education and child and youth projects. It also recognizes  her contributions to Indigenous communities through her career at Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and her volunteer work with the Inuit community in Ottawa.

We are grateful to Andrée for her outstanding contributions in improving the lives of less fortunate children internationally and in her local community. To read more about the article, click on the Child and Youth Care Website.