Institutional Strengthening and Organizational Capacity Building
Partners in Latin America sometimes face structural or existential challenges while defending the rights to public education and opposing neoliberal policies in education in the region. In some cases, partners have been denied their rights to fair representation and collective bargaining, and others suffer the impact of foreign government policies in their countries. CoDev supports partners in Cuba to mitigate the impact of the United States government’s economic blockade, a situation which was exacerbated in 2019 by the United States and Canadian sanctions against Venezuela, whom Cuba depended on for petroleum in exchange for medical, education, and other professional services. In Puerto Rico, the unelected Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico created to restructure the Island’s $72 billion debt is cutting assistance to the Island’s health and education programs, taking advantage of recent natural disasters to close over 250 public schools and lay off workers. In Honduras, teachers and human rights activists, active since the Coup d’état of 2009, continue to be persecuted due to their opposition to privatization policies in healthcare and public education.
Paulo Freire Institute - Brazil
Est. 1991
CoDev Partner since 2022
The Paulo Freire Institute was founded in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1991 to "educate to transform” by promoting Paulo Freire's legacy based on emancipatory education to combat injustice. The IPF conducts initiatives on education which are focused on advisory, consultancy, research, and training. IPF is guided by socio-environmental and inter-transcultural dimensions, horizontality, collective work, and democracy.
The Institute also has a publishing house and libraries containing numerous audiovisual records, manuscripts, and documents. The IPF works to continue and reinvent the legacy of Paulo Freire.
Canadian partners: BCTF [1] (2022)
SNTECD- Cuba
Est. 1961
CoDev Partner since 1997
The Cuban National Union of Education, Science and Sports Workers is a national union representing education, cultural and sports workers with the main goal of contributing to the professional development of its members, mobilizing unionized teachers to improve public education, aspects of labour legislation and working conditions.
Partner since 1998, programming in the past has focused on supporting SNTECD’s Centre for Documentation, Resources, Professional Development and Leadership Training (CDICEC), exchange of curriculum specialists that helped design a new English Language teaching curriculum for the country, and support for their National Conference and shop steward training program.
Currently CoDev is organizing the collection and export of supplies, equipment and spare parts that SNTECD needs to sustain their professional development and shop stewards’ training program. As well as the organization of a Canadian teachers’ delegation to participate in the International Conference of Education “Pedagogía” which brings together thousands of educators to learn about innovative pedagogical work and challenges taking place around the Americas.
Canadian partners: BCTF