Information
Where does Asociacion CEPIA work:
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Asociacion CEPIA
Huacas de Santa Cruz, Costa Rica
CEPIA means Culture, Education, Psychology for Infants and Adolescents.
The programs of CEPIA are aimed at children and teenagers from 0 to 19 years old attending public schools (Huacas, Brasilito, Potrero, Playa Grande, La Garita Nueva, La Garita Vieja, El Llanito, Matapalo, Santa Rosa, Villarreal, Hernandez, Los Pargos, Cartagena) and teenagers not attending school for reasons related to poverty, unhealthy environments and learning disabilities. CEPIA always works with the family of the child.
The Santa Cruz region is characterized by: violence; family disintegration; school exclusion/drop out (40%); day high school only graduate 56.1% of the students; 8-11% of the classrooms in elementary education are in poor condition; only 12.9% of teenagers older than 18 have completed their high school education in rural areas (28.7% at national level and 37.8% in cities), and only 67.7% of children younger than 13 have completed elementary education completed; malnutrition of children (6%) ; teenage pregnancies (20%); drug addictions; unemployment of teenagers without training (40%); poverty of children and teenagers (31%); low weight at birth (7%) ; overweight in children (14%) ; and the lack of cultural, educational and sport activities for children from low-income families.
Public schools are poorly equipped, lack quality and are short staffed. Few children receive English, computer instruction, arts, sports and music at school. Children often live in poor, difficult family situations and psychological attention is almost inexistent on behalf of the government. Many students have learning problems without being diagnosed and helped.
These factors together may contribute to high-risk situations (violence, drugs, school drop out, criminality, integration in gangs, drug sale, sexually transmitted diseases, suicide…). A high-risk situation means fewer opportunities on the labor market and less quality of life.
The members of the organization CEPIA created in 2005 the attention and prevention centre CEPIA for children, teenagers and their families.
Participation in CEPIA activities leads to greater school outcome and a greater personal development. It also promotes the eradication of child labor, sexual commercial exploitation, school exclusion, violence and poverty. Additionally, it stimulates the accomplishment of human rights, physical and mental health, ecological consciousness and the creation of a life project. In the long run, this participation can provide them greater chances in an increasingly competitive and skills-oriented market, as well as a more happy and rich family life. Through collaborations with other organizations, the impact increases. CEPIA provides the infrastructure and the professionals to develop activities of health promotion, attention, education and prevention.
The organization CEPIA holds a holistic, integral, diversified, dynamic, participative, contextual gender-sensitive and humanistic vision on education. The work is done in team and interdisciplinary.
Team
CEPIA was born in August 2005. The Board of Directors consists today of the following persons:
· Laetitia Deweer President
· Caroline Lemaire Vice President
· Olivia Benavides Secretary
· Julian Chaves Treasurer
· Isabelle Vandevelde Supervisor
· Courtney Borquet Voting member 1
· Van Salcedo Voting member 2
· José Gerardo Brenes Alfaro Voting member 3
CEPIA has the following 3 employees:
· Bach. Sandrine Tcherniack Executive Director
· Bach. Max Chaves Office manager
· Msc. Ana Francis Rosales Clinical Psychologist and Master in Gender and Violence
CEPIA has a team of 70 residents and Costarican volunteers, and also temporary helping hands and university students.
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Current Projects
CEPIA programs:
Extracurricular Classes: Classes for children and teenagers taught weekly by volunteers and staff in 11 villages. They teach English, computer instruction, arts and sports. Weekly a total of 200 children benefit of these classes.
Psychology and Education: CEPIA staff provides weekly psychological and educational counseling to children that were referred by teachers, parents and others. Our professionals offer support to victims of sexual abuse, physical and emotional maltreatment, and commercial sexual exploitation, through 580 sessions a year.
Train teenagers into the future: Teenagers dropped out of school, living in the street, in poverty, prostitution, pregnancy, with family problems participate weekly in English classes, Computer instruction, women’s group, psychological counseling, educational support and professional trainings. The 30 teenagers participate in these trainings and volunteering in CEPIA to promote their empowerment and autonomy in the future.
Women’s Groups: CEPIA invites women from the communities to weekly activities, trainings and workshops.
Reinforcement of the Schools: CEPIA offers workshops to teachers in the area, organizes joint projects, seeks funding to improve infrastructure.
Care for children in poverty: Mothers and Children living in a poverty situation (31%) receive support (clothes, furniture, food, school necessities, etc.). 400 children receive every year their school supplies package.
The mothers receiving food participate in trainings and volunteering in CEPIA to promote their empowerment and autonomy in the future. In addition, the participants are helped in finding a job and in seeking governmental help.
Trainings for the community: CEPIA offers trainings and courses to more than 150 people (older than 15), such as beauty care, English, craft, etc. Some of these trainings are developed in collaboration with CINDEA Santa Cruz.
Environment: CEPIA realizes projects of reforestation and cleaning of schools, beaches and streets in collaboration with other organizations, businesses and public institutes.
Events for the families: Movie nights and educational talks for the community (about environment, education of children, etc) to improve education and social cohesion.
Library: The library in the CEPIA centre in Huacas lends books and didactic materials to children, parents, teachers and the community in general.
Partner Needs
clothes for babies and children and women, black shoes, back packs, socks, sport shoes
furniture (tables, chairs, white boards, libraries)
Spanish books
fans
airco
telephone
fax
VHS
school supplies (notebooks, pens, color pens and pencils, cissors, erasers...)
Financial Needs
CEPIA received land from the community of Huacas, there fore we want to build a community centre
cost: 250 000 $US
already found: 100 000 $US
need: 150 000 $US
Mission Statement
Mission: CEPIA is a Costa Rican based non-profit and non-governmental organization, which seeks to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents from poor backgrounds in Costa Rica by promoting:
- cultural development
- educational and market opportunities
- physical and mental health
- social cohesion and participation
Vision: CEPIA commits to being a transparent organization which is democratically and professionally organized. CEPIA acts as an active defender of equality, equity, and diversity, as well as a promoter of rights and empowerment of children and adolescents.