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Interview with Organization for Youth Empowerment - OYE

Posted: MARCH 26, 2021
By tinker_admin Uncategorized March 26, 2021

Por favor, desplácese hacia abajo para ver la traducción al español.

To mark the anniversary of the pandemic in our hemisphere, we spoke with three organizations supported by Tinker about their experiences in the last year. Read the other interviews here.

Dunia Perdomo of OYE

We spoke with Dunia Perdomo, the General Projects Coordinator of OYE, about its response to the pandemic and two devastating hurricanes in 2020. Learn more about OYE’s work with young people in El Progreso, Honduras here.

Tell us about OYE and the work you’re doing with support from Tinker.

DP: Founded in 2005, OYE educates and empowers young people so that they can break the cycle of poverty and be change agents in their lives, families, and communities. We focus on providing opportunities so they can continue their formal studies, develop as leaders, empower themselves economically and socially, and participate actively in and with their communities. With Tinker funding, we are supporting school directors, teachers, and students in three public high schools. We hope to maximize their participation and learning so students stay in school during the pandemic and are resilient in the face of future crises and challenges.

An OYE student studies from home.

How has the pandemic affected the communities where you work? What ongoing needs do you see?

DP: The families in our community have been profoundly affected in economic terms. The majority work in the informal sector and had to halt or permanently close their businesses during the lockdown. Beyond these financial challenges, confinement and the digital divide have deepened the inequalities that already existed in our education system and affected students’ emotional wellbeing. Our community was also devastated by the flooding produced by two hurricanes last year (Eta and Iota), which left many families with partial or total losses to the homes and property they had fought so hard to own. The lack of economic resources among the families we serve puts at risk their children’s ability to continue in school.

When you consider how your organization has responded during the pandemic and the hurricanes, what stands out?

DP: During such a difficult year, we have seen the resilience, creativity, and solidarity of our community. We learned to adapt and develop friendly and creative virtual spaces for our students, using the tools already accessible on phones like WhatsApp to communicate, motivate, and teach them. We have seen daily the courage and strength of our young people, who despite so many challenges have kept studying. Ninety-eight percent of the young people we support with scholarships finished the school year. Thirty-five graduated from high school and 20 passed the admissions exam to the public university. Above all, we are inspired by their spirit of solidarity and how they helped others in need.

This interview was translated into English by the Tinker team.

SPANISH

Entrevista con Organization for Youth Empowerment – OYE

Para marcar el aniversario de la pandemia en nuestro hemisferio, entrevistamos a tres organizaciones apoyadas por Tinker sobre sus experiencias en el último año. Lea las demás entrevistas aquí.

Dunia Perdomo de OYE

Hablamos con Dunia Perdomo, Coordinadora General de Proyectos en OYE, sobre su respuesta institucional frente a la pandemia y dos huracanes devastadoras en el 2020. Aprenda más sobre el trabajo de OYE con jóvenes en El Progreso aquí.

Cuéntanos un poco sobre OYE y el trabajo específico que están llevando a cabo con el apoyo de Tinker.

DP: OYE, fundada en el 2005, educa y empodera a jóvenes para que rompan ciclos de pobreza y sean agentes de cambio en sus vidas, familias y comunidades. Nos enfocamos en brindar oportunidades para que continúen la educación formal, desarrollen su potencial de liderazgo, se empoderen económica y socialmente y participen activamente en y con sus comunidades. Con la Fundación Tinker, apoyamos a directores, docentes y estudiantes en tres institutos públicos de educación secundaria para maximizar la participación, aprendizaje y persistencia de estudiantes en medio de la pandemia y fortalecer su resiliencia ante futuras crisis.

Una participante en el programa de OYE estudia desde casa.

¿Cómo ha afectado la pandemia a las comunidades donde trabaja OYE? ¿Qué necesidades persisten todavía?

DP: Las familias de nuestra comunidad han sido afectadas económicamente de manera significativa, la mayoría dedicada al sector informal en donde se detuvieron o cerraron permanentemente muchos negocios por la situación del confinamiento. Además de lo económico, el confinamiento y la brecha digital han profundizado las desigualdades ya existentes en educación y han perjudicado el bienestar emocional. Es importante resaltar que más allá de la pandemia, nuestra comunidad fue devastada por las inundaciones provocadas por dos huracanes (Eta e Iota), los cuales dejaron a muchas familias damnificadas y sufriendo daños y pérdidas totales o parciales de bienes que tanto lucharon por adquirir. La falta de recursos económicos de las familias pone en peligro la continuidad de los jóvenes en el sistema educativo.

Cuando consideras cómo ha respondido OYE durante la pandemia y los huracanes, ¿qué se destaca?

DP: Durante este año tan difícil, destacamos la resiliencia, creatividad y solidaridad de nuestra comunidad. Aprendimos a adaptarnos y a desarrollar espacios virtuales creativos y amigables, aprovechando herramientas ya utilizadas y accesibles en teléfonos móviles – así como WhatsApp – para comunicar, motivar y enseñar. Vimos a diario la valentía y fuerza de nuestros jóvenes, quienes a pesar de las dificultades se mantuvieron estudiando; un 98% de nuestra población becaria culminó su año escolar, entre ellos 35 se graduaron de secundaria y 20 aprobaron su examen de admisión a la universidad pública. Y sobre todo, nos inspira su gran espíritu de solidaridad hacia personas que necesitaban de su apoyo.

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