USDOL CONFERENCE JUNE 2011

1. USDOL CONFERENCE JUNE 2011 Sustainability Breakout Session The Wiñari Project Experience Ecuador

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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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.

6. Sustainability scope: • 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.

7. 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?

8. Strategies and actions • 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:

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

10. School age gap by ethnicity National: Children 10 to years Percentage indigenous mestizo total % % % No age gap 20,1 56,3 54,9 1-2 years 46,2 28,2 28,8 3 & more 33,7 15,6 16,2 total 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 2005-2006 Elaboración: DYA

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

12. 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)

13. 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)

14. 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)

15. 4th phase: Turn the Accelerated learning program into a MOE public offer.

16. 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.

17. Current situation

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

19. 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.