The Foundation “Escribiendo Sonrisas Venezuela” serves children in vulnerable situations in the municipalities of La Guajira, Zulia State. Its activities began in 2019 and to date, 6,000 children have received its helping hand.
Correspondent lapatilla.com
Ricardo de Fernández, founder of the NGO, “Escribiendo Sonrisas Venezuela,” told lapatilla.com that the objective is to promote the education and comprehensive development of indigenous children in poverty stricken areas under social vulnerability.
Its goal is to create or achieve a lasting positive impact on education throughout these municipalities.
“Escribendo Sonrisas Venezuela” permanently serves the children of two public schools in the Guajira Municipality. One of them is the La Peña Basic School, located north of Sinamaica, an institution that has become the base headquarters of the project and where the foundation began its work.
The El Guanábano School is the other pilot educational center, with an enrollment of 95 children.
In these spaces they carry out medical, vaccination, deworming sessions throughout the year, as well as the Wayúu Culture Festival, to keep indigenous knowledge and roots alive.
Fernández explained that one of the most attractive areas for students is reading and writing, where they receive talks and workshops on literature and language.
Another program is values and leadership, where children receive tools for their intellectual and personal growth in order to achieve positive changes in their communities.
María Peinado, general director of the organization, emphasized that after four years of work, the benefit to children and their development within the schools is notable.
“There is a before and an after, a complete transformation. We see happy, happy children with enthusiasm to come to their school,” she added.
The foundation is also contemplating the rehabilitation of small schools and recreational activities in several schools in the Sinamaica and Guajira parishes.
On October 16th, the 3rd edition of the Wayuu Culture School Festival “Escribiendo Sonrisas” was held, where children’s knowledge and pride in the knowledge of the Wayuu ethnic group is promoted.
Next December they announced that they will carry out an activity alluding to the Christmas festivities, in order to provide entertainment and fun to at least 200 children.