This campaign is closed

Help us fight poverty in Peru

Help us graduate 50 kids with computer science skills by the end of this year.

You may also be interested in

Caret Left
Caret Right
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed

Help us fight poverty in Peru

Help us fight poverty in Peru

Help us fight poverty in Peru

Help us fight poverty in Peru

Help us fight poverty in Peru

Help us graduate 50 kids with computer science skills by the end of this year.

Help us graduate 50 kids with computer science skills by the end of this year.

Help us graduate 50 kids with computer science skills by the end of this year.

Help us graduate 50 kids with computer science skills by the end of this year.

Roberto Carcelen
Roberto Carcelen
Roberto Carcelen
Roberto Carcelen
2 Campaigns |
Seattle, United States
$2,825 USD 12 backers
18% of $15,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 2 Projects Mountain Filled 2 Projects
Overview
The Roberto Carcelen Foundation provides children from Latin America the ability to achieve long lasting change in their lives and communities through education in technology, English proficiency and Olympic sports values. We believe education is the key to a lifetime of success and the eradication of poverty. With your help we will be able to continue funding education for the 21st century in communities that need the most.

Our mission is to provide opportunities to children in Latin America through education in Computer Science and Olympic sport values

In February of 2015, the Roberto Carcelen Foundation opened the doors of a new educational laboratory in Lima, Peru. The lab’s focus is to provide the children of Lima with a place where they can acquire the tools they need to build a brighter future.

Currently our educational lab focuses on programs associated with computer science, English language proficiency, leadership values and life lessons learned though the practice of athletics. We believe that investing in the lives of these children will ensure that we are helping to create a positive future for Latin America.

  • We provide free education on computer science. Our students learn how to code and getting their hands on real projects. Our group of developer trainers involve the students on practical problem solving projects through programming.
  • Our children are learning English as well! We have two great English native speakers that provide English lessons.
  • We not only provide a technical curriculum in coding but we also assist with providing nourishment by ways of a warm daily breakfast
  • We provide work opportunities for the older teenagers to join the workforce as a web developer.
  • Our U.S and Peru based mentors are leaders, CEO's, athletes that connect with our students via Skype twice a month to demonstrate the children that anything is possible and we all care about them. 
  • This is where our children will be working when finishing our program. Where our students will have the opportunity to provide (paid) services, but also provide company culture and values that make great companies thrive.

Why We Need Your Support?

  • Our 2016 program starts on September 2016. 31 Students have signed up and another 48 are in waiting list. We have opened an afternoon shift to serve those kids that work in the mornings. We are forecasting 100+ graduates by the end of the 2016 calendar year and our goal is to have 70% of them joining the workforce throughout 2016 and 2017 as web developers !
  • Keep in mind that $297 funds our computer science program (read more below) per student for a full year! This is $25 at month/per student!

Who Do We Help?

Since the start of the year, 90 children have been enrolled in our free education programs.

  • 70% are girls.
  • They come from extreme poor areas (Cantagallo and others nearby)
  • Our first group graduated last September, 60% of them are now working for companies engaged with our mission. They are now bringing revenue to their household empowering and helping their overall realities.

Our Education Programs

  • Code to Work: Serves teenagers that have already finished school and are in need of skills to join the work force. Their ages range from 15 to 22 years old.
    • Skills: Front end and Backend programming backed by world class curriculum provided by Udemy.
    • Duration: 6 months/ daily

  • Play to grow: Serves children that are currently attending school or work in the morning. Ages ranging from 8 to 15 years old.
    • Skills: Introduction to technology by developing their own games, using Scratch, Robotzzle, Minecraft.
    • Duration: 6 months/ weekends

Outreach Programs

  • Mobile Lab: We bring our education to children located in remote areas of Lima. 

  • Workshops: Technology and native language preservation. Most our students migrated from remote rural areas, their primary language is not Spanish. We partnered with The Idea Agency and the Office of human inclusion of Ministry of Culture to bring awareness and practice to the importance of preserving their own identity. As a result, our children are now coding and developing in their own native languages in addition to Spanish. 

  • Outreach: Bringing Code.org program 'Hour of Code' to schools and recreational events.

  • Events: We partnered with Microsoft Peru to bring Developer Days. Our students got to interact with other techies, attended seminars and presented their prototypes.

The Challenging Context

In Latin American countries, the vast majority of children in relative poverty also suffer from extreme degrees of absolute deprivation, making the challenge of child poverty all the more urgent. In fact, in all but three countries (Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay), over half of all children below the relative poverty line live in families which do not have sufficient income for a proper diet.

·  Latin America has the world's highest levels of social inequality

·  91% of Children in poverty in Peru do not have access to a college education.

·  Fewer than half the girls in the developing world will never reach secondary school.

Barriers

  • Recruiting

o People from these communities are resistant and doubtful about accepting help. We had to find a way to break through this barrier.

o  We decided to do onsite recruiting, Roberto Carcelen along with the team visited Cantagallo community and went door to door explaining the education opportunity and how it could break that multi-generational poverty cycle. It took time to gain their trust, but in the end it worked out, (certainly Roberto being an Olympic athlete helped). Our first group of graduates from Cantagallo was the best proof for them that our program works.

 Door to door

  Our graduates helping with recruiting

  • Lack of food:

o  We experienced high drop out and class absence rates. After further investigation we found out lack of food was the reason. Students aimed their efforts to find breakfast instead of coming to class.

o  We decided to provide a well-balanced breakfast to sustain their morning studies. Since then, the dropout & absence rates is now zero!

  • Violence at home:

o  Children that come to the academy are shy by nature and hard to express their feelings and problems that affect them.

With the help if our psychologists, staff members and instructors we were able to cracked that barrier and understand that high number of these students live in violent homes and are often too frightened and embarrassed to speak out.

We identified this as critical point that needed attention in order to stabilize emotionally these children, overcoming that hurdle has helped our children to be more open and willing to learn new skills. Our Psychologists have been supporting these students through 1:1 therapy that also involves their parents. 

How Does the Money Work?

We have super low administrative costs as we run a solid volunteer program through our corporate environment network. 

Our self-sustain model: 

  •  The RCF will fund 100% of setup and operations for their academies for the first year
  • 50% for the first 6 months of the following year and then each academy will fly on its own by a self-sustain/ blue print program
  • The self-sustain will be possible by creating partnerships with local corporations, sponsorship programs and fees from job placements.
  • Consulting services fees.
  • Applying to local and international grants
  • Local Fundraisers and crowdfunding 

Plans to Grow?

Yes! We are opening RCF Academy in Quito Ecuador, March 2017

About Roberto Carcelen

At the age of 36, in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, Roberto Carcelen learned how to ski for the first time. Only 3 years later, Roberto traveled to Vancouver British Columbia to represent Peru as their first cross country skier and Winter Olympian. In 2014 Roberto would travel to Sochi Russia and compete a second time for his homeland of Peru. On his journey he would face many challenges and struggles. These times of strife would teach Roberto to embrace the values of perseverance, determination, and tenacity. These core values were the source of his success and enabled Roberto to reach goals that most would find unachievable.

“Will this journey of adversity and pain have a purpose? How can I turn my struggles, doubts, failures, and victories along this Olympic voyage into story of hope and perseverance for the people of my region?” These were the thoughts that consumed my mind as I struggled through debilitating pain crossing the finish line at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The Roberto Carcelen Foundation was established in Seattle, Washington in May 2014.

Looking for more information? Check the project FAQ
Need more information
Let us know if you think this campaign contains prohibited content.

Choose your Perk

2 Month of education

$50 USD
Digital thank you note from Roberto Carcelen
2 claimed

Spark

$100 USD
The Roberto Carcelen Foundation Coffee mug Digital thank you note from Roberto Carcelen
1 claimed

Dream maker

$300 USD
100% paid education for one student. Digital thank you note from Roberto Carcelen 2 The Roberto Carcelen Foundation Coffee Mug
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Gala seat

$500 USD
100% paid education for two kids. You are invited to the Roberto Carcelen Foundation gala in NYC Fall 2016.
Estimated Shipping
September 2016
3 out of 10 of claimed

Partner

$1,000 USD
Your name featured in our website 1 Seat at our next gala/fundraising event Personalized thank you video by our Founder and Exe. Director. 2 x The Roberto Carcelen Foundation Coffee mug
2 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Supporter

$3,000 USD
Your name/logo featured in our website, social media and gala events. Personal thank you gift from founder. 2 Seat at our next gala/fundraising event The Roberto Carcelen Coffee mug and T-shirt
0 claimed

Benefactor Level

$5,000 USD
Your name/logo featured in our website, social media and gala events. Personal thank you gift from founder. 10 hours of RCF team development work towards any front end project. 3 Seats at our next gala/fundraising event Dinner for 2 in Seattle or NY or Miami with Exc. Director Roberto Carcelen (Dinner included)
0 claimed

Patron

$10,000 USD
Your name/logo featured in our website, social media and gala events. Personal thank you gift from founder. 10 Seats at our next gala/fundraising event You will be mentoring one of our kids, get tracking reports and 1:1 via Skype Translator. 20 hours of RCF team development work towards any front end project. Dinner for 4 in Seattle or NY or Miami with Exc. Director Roberto Carcelen (Dinner included) Trip to Peru: (Airfare not included) A personally guided visit to our academy in Lima
0 claimed

Founder

$15,000 USD
Main placement of your name/logo in our website, social media and gala events, media interviews. Personal thank you gift from founder. 10 seats at our next gala/fundraising event. Plaque with your name in the Academy 40 hours of RCF team development work towards any front end project. You will be mentoring one of our kids, get tracking reports and 1:1 via Skype Translator. Trip to Peru: (T&E not included) •A personally guided visit to our academy in Lima, Peru. •Dinner
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

You may also be interested in

Up Caret