Story
How Sophia went from unengaged to an active learner
Travel with us to Macapa, Brazil, a small city that sits along the Amazon River, where it meets the ocean.
Travel with us to Macapa, Brazil, a city that sits along the Amazon River, where it meets the ocean. It can take up to six hours to fly into Macapa from the major cities in Brazil, like Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo. There, we met Sophia, a 10-year old girl who studies at the Esforço Popular school. She has low vision and attends a public school where most of her peers don’t have disabilities.
In 2015, Brazil passed the most progressive education law in Latin America that requires states to make all public schools inclusive. But, putting the law into practice requires dedication, creativity, and expertise.
Macapa and Perkins: Teamwork makes the dream work!
Despite sitting in a classroom surrounded by friends, school became increasingly difficult for Sophia. Her teachers and parents weren’t equipped with the tools or support to meet her needs, but they were willing to learn.
Using our award-winning Model Program Approach, Perkins intervened by:
- Providing strategies and routines to help Sophia access learning in the classroom and at home.
- Training her teacher to create an Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) to ensure that every student’s unique needs are met.
- Working with the municipality of Macapa to establish best practices in other schools within the system.
Within a year, Sophia grew from unengaged to fully participating in the same classroom activities as her classmates without disabilities. Over time, Sophia’s school will become a model for other schools in the region.
Driving systemic change in Brazil
You might be wondering why Perkins travels to rural areas in Brazil. Our international programs prioritize collaboration with schools and government systems that truly want to improve the quality of education for all students, especially those with disabilities.
Perkins carefully selects local partners in countries we’ve established relationships with who believe in our mission that every child can learn and deserves to find their place in the world. We contribute to rural and urban communities by providing the knowledge and training needed to improve the quality of their education. Our approach is sustainable and scalable.
Here’s how we’re driving systemic change in Brazil:
- Empowering parents to become advocates
- Advancing inclusive early childhood education
- Building a collaborative network with Mexico
Around the world, we’re providing the knowledge and tools needed to unlock opportunities for children with disabilities. Your support makes that possible!
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With your gift today, we can help more children in remote communities find their place in the world.
