Last week I traveled to Uruguay with 4 Key Club members to learn more about UNICEF’s programs there. Key Club International has recently committed to raise funds for programs for adolescents in Uruguay, and we spent four days learning about life in Uruguay and UNICEF’s efforts there. Pictured here are the four Key Club members as we arrived on our first day, Jared, Abigail, Anna and Lance.
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| © 2009/Ellis/The Image Company |
| Key Club members Jared, Abigail, Anna and Lance. |
A middle income country, with 3.3 million people, nearly half of children under age 18 live in poverty or extreme poverty. Only 40% of students enrolled in the first year finish the basic cycle on time and only one in every three 20-year old Uruguayans graduates from high school. We visited high schools, trade schools, and most frequently a model center for teens, called Mandala Vos, which offers a safe and productive place for teen agers to learn skills, express themselves through the arts, and make friends. The Key Club representatives were welcomed immediately, and while they did not speak the same language, through laughter and music and gestures, became very connected. Many jokes were made, many meals were shared, and I could see that the Key Clubbers understood the impact that this trip would make on their lives when we returned home.
UNICEF Uruguay is doing great work, meeting teens where they are, in providing them opportunities for healthy and safe environments that help them stay in school, return to school, or develop skills. We heard first hand from the young people who go to the center that UNICEF, through Mandala Vos, has changed their lives for the better, and they were happy to hear we would be funding more centers in the future. When I get everyone’s photos, I will post again about the great work that UNICEF is doing in Uruguay.
