I’ve written before about how my experiences after Hurricane Katrina opened my eyes to the vast inequalities in education at home in New Orleans and abroad. Katrina was the catalyst that spurred interest in education and international, but it also opened my eyes to the value of online education. After Katrina, my university population was [...]
Whilst I have written about the issue of inequality and prejudice in Guatemala before now, I find that the more I learn about the country, the harder it is to avoid recognising the extent of this issue as an obstacle to its development. Despite existing gender-related legislation to encourage equality, this legislation is apparently being [...]
It seemed that the Occupy movement took to the internet this week to protest SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act. Many people in the US have been calling and emailing their congressman to keep the internet uncensored and even those abroad have spoken up in support of internet freedom. Those who were not aware of [...]
Last week, I shared a USAID info-graphic that did an excellent job of explaining the broad based impact of education in overall community development, but the USAID neglected to address the important role that teachers play in students lives . Even in the United States where all students are able, and required, to attend school [...]
50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy founded the US Agency for International Development because he realized that merging many foreign aid efforts into one agency could have a much greater impact. USAID is celebrating its 50th birthday this year with a new website to chronicle it’s accomplishments over the last half century. In addition, [...]
When I was growing up in the UK, there was only one certainty in my grumpy adolescent world: one day soon I would shed the shackles of my hometown and escape to university. In Europe, the US, and Australia university attendance is the rule rather than the exception, and an undergraduate degree is now the [...]
In November this year, the Maestros Cien Puntos Prize was awarded to ten Guatemalan teachers in recognition of their outstanding service to education in Guatemala in the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura. Previous winners attended the ceremony along with other education officials and sponsors of the scheme. The award assesses innovation in teaching and the [...]
This week I’ve been pondering over the ever-increasing impact of technology and how gadgets such as Kindles and iPhones are more commonly seen in the hands of commuters and suchlike, which led me to consider how easy it is to take advantage of our access to books. It saddens me to hear that public funding [...]
I mentioned in my first ever post for RWI that I currently work in academic publishing for a well-known organisation which publishes world-famous dictionaries, journals, textbooks and a wide range of other publications. Whilst my role concentrates on courses for secondary education (ages 11-18), a large part of the company is dedicated to producing successful [...]
The five of us piled into the tatty jeep with our drenched rucksacks piled on top of us and we sat soaked to the bone all the way to the hostel. We had turned up at one of the more common hostels in the area only to find out that they had overbooked, and after [...]
This holiday season, skip the long lines and crazy shoppers and give the gift of education. There are several ways that you can help disadvantaged youth in rural Guatemala this holiday season at no extra cost to you. Instead of trolling the mall searching for that perfect book, DVD, or gadget shop through the Roots [...]
Not so long ago, I wrote about the recently released HDI report and briefly touched upon some of the figures regarding education in Guatemala, which showed that only 15.6% of Guatemala’s female population are educated to at least secondary school level, compared to 21% of males. These figures have played on my mind ever since. [...]
A quote this week caught my eye. Angelo Campos, a Brazilian graffiti artist and T-Shirt designer, has said that “what is really needed in the long term is more education.” It might surprise you to read that Angelo is a largely uneducated resident of the favela in Rio de Janeiro. This quote came in response to [...]
My first blog for Roots and Wings International will hopefully mark a long-term involvement with an organisation which promotes a cause close to my heart. Not only do I wish to share what I already know and encourage interaction with communities that rarely have an opportunity to have its voice heard, I also wish to [...]
In Crisantemo, a book by Kevin Henkes, a little mouse starts school and finds her sense of self challenged by her classmates. Crisantemo (Chrysanthemum in English) had been proud of her uncommon name until her classmates teased her. The mouse’s parents cheer her up, telling her that her name is “absolutamente perfecto,” and Crisantemo bolsters [...]
