Latin America Social Innovation Challenge
2022 Innovation Focus: Co-Curricular Educational Solutions for Tutors, Parents, and Teachers in Latin America
For years, children across Central and South America have grown up with a broken educational system. Then a global pandemic and economic crisis hit. Since the pandemic's start, schools in middle-income Latin American countries have been fully or partially closed, more than twice as long as European, Central Asian, and sub-Saharan nations. On average, students in the region fully or partially lost two-thirds of all in-person school days since the start of the pandemic.
Children in Latin America lost an estimated 1.5 years of learning per child.
According to the World Bank, 51% of children across Latin America were suffering from "learning poverty" as a usual way of life even before COVID-19. The rate of learning poverty was even more pronounced in countries like Peru (56%).
"Learning Poverty measures the share of children who cannot read a simple text with comprehension by age ten." - World Bank
The educational impacts of COVID-19 mean that teachers inside the classroom will need to work even harder to increase their students' learning outcomes. This will place a greater need for co-curricular support outside the classroom, increasing the demand for tutors and supplemental learning materials. Fortunately, there are tens of thousands of tutors in Latin America now assisting children outside the classroom through Compassion church partners.
Now more than ever, tutors need better tools to help bridge the gaps caused by COVID-19.
Something must be done. As people of faith, we must innovate. We need your help to find the best solutions that will address this pressing need. Will you join us by submitting working solutions to this continuing educational crisis for children in Latin America?
Schedule
November 18, 2022 – Round 1 Application Opens
February 17, 2023 – Round 1 Application Closes
February 22-23, 2023 – Round 1 Judging
February 23, 2023 – Round 2 Announcement (Finalists will be notified if they are selected to move on to Round 2)
March 10, 2023 – Round 2 Application Closes
March 13-15, 2023 – Round 2 Judging
March 15, 2023 – Challenge Finalists Announced
March 17, 2023 – Training of Finalists
April 4, 2023 – Finalists Pitch Day and Awards Ceremony to Top 1-3 Finalists
Prizes
Compassion International is looking to partner with social innovators to provide our Frontline Church Partners in Latin America with solutions needed to address this education crisis in Latin America. One or more innovators will have the opportunity to partner with Compassion International under a Statement of Work to determine the feasibility of their solutions for broader implementation across Compassion International programs.