Academic Resources

Basic, day-to-day educational supplies to children ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade. We also provide materials to the schools to help heighten the teaching environments

The Challenge

 

Public education in developing and third world countries suffers from inadequate teaching materials and lack of student academic resources. Ergo, the students are deprived of suitable resources to endorse their basic education.

The lack of academic resources can be traced back to inadequate governmental education funding of public schools. Many low-income students, especially those in rural areas, are without the basic means necessary to attend school. The inability to access fundamental academic resources such as books and state-mandated online courses are a daily challenge for many students.  In many cases, public schools also lack skilled teachers who can teach the minimum requirements in the core subjects of arts, language, physical education, science and social studies.  As a result, the public education system suffers from low levels of learning and low academic achievement in economically-deprived areas. Lastly, extremely poverty-stricken schools are forced to work with obsolete resources such as outdated computers, books, supplies, laboratories and inadequate classroom space. The absence of classroom technology diminishes the availability of an enriched learning experience and the opportunity for high academic performance.

 

The Opportunity

 

The solution is within our capabilities. Investing in academic resources increases and improves learning opportunities for low-income students when resources are allocated effectively. Hence, students will improve their intellectual gain and academic achievements in the long term.

  • Inadequate education and increased dropout rates affect children’s academic achievement, perpetuating the low-socioeconomic status of the community.
  • Children from low-socioeconomic status households and communities develop academic skills more slowly compared to children from higher socioeconomic status groups.
  • The school systems in low-socioeconomic status communities are often under resourced, negatively affecting students’ academic progress.

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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