The care and attention a child receives in its first years of life strongly influence their development. Affection, stimulation, a healthy diet, reliable relationships, and access to healthcare significantly increase a child's chances of successfully completing school. However, children from marginalised families often lack this foundation.
In Central America, the quality of education is precarious. According to UNESCO’s Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE), primary school students in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras rank among the lowest in performance across the region. Vivamos aims to address this injustice through early intervention.
Our goal is to increase the numbers of socially disadvantaged children who complete primary education in these countries.
PDF «Brücken in die Schule» (Programme «Bridge to School», currently available in German only)
According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, young people with limited resources have little access to vocational training. Yet such training significantly increases their chances of earning a stable income and helps prevent poverty and juvenile delinquency.
Studies also show that for many young people in these regions, securing their first job is often an insurmountable hurdle. Globally, 76% of young workers work in the informal economy, and over than 90% of them live in developing countries. In 2017, 19.4 % of young people in Latin American were neither in training nor employed; a figure that was twice as high among young women.
Our goal is to empower and educate young adults so they can earn a living under decent working conditions and shape their own future.
An overview of the programmes (currently available in German only)
Our Contribution to the 2030 Agenda
With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community has created a framework for joint solutions to overcome the great challenges facing us – such as migration, climate change, environmental destruction, poverty and hunger. This agreement names 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which define the social, economic, and environmental policy milestones that should be reached worldwide by 2030. These goals apply to all countries – including Switzerland.
Our programmes are co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.
