COVID-19 IMPACT AND RESPONSE
Kindergarten Students
As the United States has been forced into a new normal so has Honduras. The country has been in complete lockdown for weeks even more than we have. People are only allowed to leave their homes once every 10 days for groceries, banking, and other essential services. The schools have been completely closed as has HEDAC’s Jardin (kindergarten) Preschool and our Centro de Estrellas learning center. Unlike the United States and other first world countries, remote learning though essential, is not as common with most of the families not having access to internet.
This does not mean that HEDAC has stopped in its mission of the last 20+ years.
Profesora Cindy (left), our Jardin teacher, has been providing work and lessons via WhatsApp for students who do have internet or whose parents are unable to come to the school to pick up work. It’s been very encouraging to see the parents working with their children and to see the students continue their work.
A few of our Facilitators have also been able to continue with providing some activities to students of the Centro de Estrellas’ program even with the Centro closed. Sadly, they are not able to meet with students at this critical time.
Teachers
Just as our students need to keep engaged as much as possible, so do the teachers. Dr. Ana Gil-Garcia, HEDAC board member, is holding a series of seminars on Reading Comprehension for 25 teachers through Zoom. Additional seminars are in the development stage.
