Educational Development & Workshops

Educational seminars for children and adults focusing on acquiring and improving technical and social skills.

The Challenge

Low-income schools, children and entire families are deeply affected by a wide variety of factors brought on by poverty. Poverty creates challenging issues that families are forced to address, especially due to the lack of information and external resources.The impact of poverty on students and their families undermines student achievement, and hinders the emotional and social development of entire families.

Thus, educational seminars are highly important as they bring opportunity for self-improvement and empowerment through education for low-income families. Educational seminars aim to respond to the diverse needs of low-income populations by implementing need-focused community programs. A variety of topics covering nutrition, health care, economics, family, civic responsibilities, etc. encourage entire families to analyze and adjust their lifestyles.  

 

The Opportunity

 

The implementation of educational workshops helps families attack specific problems that challenge households and communities. These workshops provide knowledge and skills to parents and guardians to respond effectively to particular issues that negatively impact their social units.

Additionally, workshops provide tools and strategies for families to improve communication with their children and deepen their understanding of positive emotional and physical treatment.

 

Educational seminars are also highly beneficial to children as they learn about a variety of topics that are usually excluded from academic curriculum in public schools. These workshops foster a positive environment for further education that engage children in topics important to daily life, as well as more complex topics such as technology and health. With new knowledge, abilities, and attitudes children develop a positive mindset suitable for a bright future.

  • Education encourages environmental sustainability. Education allows individuals to make decisions that meet the needs of the present, without compromising those of future generations.
  • Education beats poverty: One extra year of schooling increases a person’s earnings by up to 10%. 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills.
  • Education contributes to improved maternal health: Women with higher levels of education are most likely to delay and space out pregnancies, and to seek health care and support.

BLOG SMILE

Vital medical outreach focusing on basic hygiene and quality health care needs– including dental care, medical check-ups, medical supplies, visual care, etc.

An update from our founders!

An update from our founders!

Hi we’re Edwin Amaya and Erika Perdomo, founders of Smile Education Foundation! We’re so happy to still be working with SEF after all these years, and we definitely want to thank all of the donors and volunteers that have been with us throughout this exciting...

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Summer Interns in Colombia

Summer Interns in Colombia

Hola! We’re Julia and Carey, students from the University of Oklahoma who’ve come Colombia to volunteer with SEF. A little bit about us- Julia: A junior studying Economics and International Security Studies from Houston, Texas. Half-Colombian, Half-American, and I’m...

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Who are we and what do we do?

Who are we and what do we do?

Smile Colombia Foundation was founded in August 2009 by Edwin Amaya in Oklahoma. Edwin’s inspiration is based in his own family’s story. Knowing and understanding the struggles his grandmother endured raising his mother and seven other children as a single mother in...

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