The Back to School 2019 project aims to supply all of the children who attend SKIP with the means to enroll in their public school, with all the supplies needed for that year plus their school uniform. We want to provide the children we work with the unrestricted and unhindered access to education. Peru does provide state-run education which is non-fee paying. However, there are added costs which are not covered by the government; enrollment fees, school uniforms and shoes and school supplies which are prohibitive for families living in poverty.
We will be providing school supplies and covering the enrolment fee for the 215 children who participate in the SKIP programme. We will also be providing school uniforms and shoes to 125 of those children (the next year the remainder of the pupils will receive a new uniform and shoes). The families are encouraged to look after the uniforms for two years, to promote responsible ownership and not breed dependency on SKIP. If a child grows out of their uniform in the intervening year, the family is encouraged to swap with another family who may have an older child getting a new uniform that year. The enrollment fee and school supplies are other hidden fees which are required in order for the SKIP families to send their children to school.
One school uniform & pair of shoes = $26
School supplies = $15
Enrollment fee = $3
Why donate?
Through covering these costs, we empower families to prioritise education for their children without incurring financial consequences that may lead to children's basic rights not being met. By covering enrolment fees and school supplies we enable all 215 children to begin school on time with no concerns regarding paying the enrolment fee on time, and on a level playing field to everyone else. From our experience we know there are multiple additional reasons why school uniforms are important for the families we work with:
School uniforms allow children to be equals with their peers, free from judgment based on the clothes that they are wearing.
School uniforms can be "kept for best" where families don't have enough money to keep a set of clothes for this purpose.
School uniforms help children to identify with and take pride in their school.
To fund the purchase of 125 school uniforms and pairs of shoes equates to $3,250 and to pay for school supplies and registration for 215 students equals $3906. As a small charity working on a tight budget, this is a substantial sum of money. Your donations will allow us to use the rest of our funds to concentrate on our core work in the SKIP classroom.