Persistent school closures during the pandemic interrupted access to education for millions of students in Latin America, with potential generational consequences. Since 2020, the Tinker Foundation has awarded more than $4.6 million in grantmaking to keep students connected to learning and return successfully to school. Since early in the pandemic, Tinker has also called on the philanthropic sector to give this crisis-within-a-crisis the attention and funding it deserves.
We are proud to join forces with six other funders to launch the RECARGA initiative, which stands for Recuperando la Educación en Centroamérica: Activando Redes y Grupos Asociados (Educational Recovery in Central America: Supporting the Critical Role of Civil Society Organizations).
In addition to Tinker, the participating funders are Focus Central America, Global Fund for Children, International Community Foundation, Luis von Ahn Foundation, The Summit Foundation, and Vibrant Village Foundation. RECARGA’s design reflects extensive consultation with civil society organizations in Central America as well as insights from regional and international experts on education, inequality, and public policy.
The joint commitment of $1.5 million over three years will support organizations in Guatemala and Honduras focused on educational recovery. Beginning in January 2023, RECARGA will convene and fund a cohort of 12 civil society organizations in Guatemala and Honduras. The 12 RECARGA organizations were selected in late 2022 following an open call by Global Fund for Children.
Each participating organization will receive three years of funding and organizational capacity-strengthening support to continue its education-related work, with a particular emphasis on increasing organizational influence and impact beyond direct service delivery. The cohort will convene regularly and have opportunities to shape shared projects.
RECARGA seeks to advance educational recovery by supporting organizations to:
- Ensure a return to school for children in their communities, address academic gaps, and provide wrap-around support to students.
- Advocate for expanded access to quality education for all children and ensure that equity, quality, and access remain at the center of post-pandemic education system plans and investments.
- Strengthen networks for advocacy and learning by exchanging information and approaches, articulating and advancing shared priorities, engaging with experts and stakeholders, and participating in capacity-strengthening activities.
In Guatemala, the Population Council will also provide RECARGA partners with opportunities to engage in research, hands-on skills-building, and collaborative learning to cultivate a shared vision for equitable educational recovery.
The RECARGA initiative is managed by the Global Fund for Children, which provides direct support to local organizations and facilitates networking, convening, and collaboration in Guatemala and Honduras. Tinker will continue to provide direct support to organizations in Latin America for educational recovery projects. Please see our Education program priorities for up-to-date guidance.
