Funds raised from the sale of Finca El Retiro, El Talapo and Guachoca last year have continued to improve the lives of the communities involved in the Pacas Family Charity FUNPRES.
After our last investment into the FUNPRES charity, we have received the first report about the programs, which highlights how more people will benefit from the program this year.
Last year they had a total of 756 people involved in the project, spread over between students, teachers and parents. This year, the number has increased to 770.
One of those newly involved is a preventive psychologist who, during his first trimester, has developed a great number of activities in order to get the children used to his presence and enable them to feel comfortable with him.
Some of the activities that have been taking place at both of the FUNPRES schools are ?intra-school games, 2nd level social skills and conflict resolution workshops as well as social activities such as watching a movie.
The schools have never had activities that involved sports so the 9th graders were in charge of organizing the school games event. The idea behind this was for them to be able to work as a team.?
The workshops focus on areas to improve the children’s all round development such as the Social Skills II that reinforce self-esteem, self-identity and the ?RCC Workshops that help the children find peaceful ways to react to conflict thereby avoiding violence in school and home.?
’Going to the Movies’ was an activity in which a screen was set up in a classroom and the children had the chance to watch a movie. The content of the movie is used to start a conversation about different situations, values etc. This activity helps the children open up with the psychologist and share their ways of thinking and feeling with him. ?
The clinical psychologist, who treats specific cases that need more attention, is currently working with 30 people: 26 students, 1 teacher and 3 parents. A sample of some of the problems they are facing are Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Disocial Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, Depression and Sleep Disorders, amongst others.
While a lot has been happening at the schools to improve the lives of those in the communities, there is still much more that needs to be done.
