CARE-Bolivia Advances and Chanllenges of the LAC ERAC – Educacion Regional Advisory Committe for Latin America Coordinator: Rouzena ZuazoJune 2008

Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Haití, Perú, Ecuador, Bolivia. ERAC LAC Countries in Latin America and Caribe

. The LAC ERAC starts on 2000 under the purpose of promoting Education as a key approach to reduce poverty within the region and facilitate the transtition from a formal education sector to an education program for the social and economic development. Begining with the identification of regional priorities. Establishment of a framework for knowledge managment and coordination among the countries to exchange and share experience and learning.

ia BACKGROUND First activities have started under the coordination of the Basic and Girls Education Unit and after a couple of years the region have strength its capacities to lead the network and project its work under a regional agenda enhacing the country offices to change from a national vision to a regional one. First steps were to identify commonalities among the LAC region on education and to use a tool to measure its impact oriented to EFA and OVM OLAT (Organizacional Learning & Assessment Tool) para medir el impacto Second step was to define the most salient education issues to be addressed in the region such as: Comunitarian education, Child labor and Bilingual and Intercultural educacion. By the end of 2005, the region of south america had as a result of this first phase of the LAC ERAC, the All races project developed as well as a Research on Child labor issues within the region.l

CARE-Bolivia Second Phase LAC ERAC LAC ERAC is an education network within CARE, established to make analysis, reflexion, proposal, strategic planification and knowlege generation and managment to recreate and incorporate new and innovative perspectives of education directed to conduct advocacy, improve governance and public policies that ensure the right to education to the most vulnerable population.

Stregic directions Under the understanding that the education is a priority that guides actions toward the reduction of the poverty, The ERAC LAC lays its main attention and effort to contribute to the execution of the objectives of the millennium, regional plans, of country and institutional; through: An imrpoved programming in the region that puts in relevance the quality and pertinence of education for all and in particular for women. Building coalitions to interact and participation in the design or implementation of public policies at a national an regional level. Strengthening of regional technical capacities in articulation with the strategic actions of CARE USA AND CARE INTERNATIONAL.

Objetivos establecidos  To work as a facilitator and coordinator of a depth dialog on education issues between the Cos,CARE USA., CARE International and other GOV and NGOs  To produce, manage and share social and organizational learning based on education issues.  To improve the technical and strategic skills of the national and regional capacities.  To influence in public policies at a national and regional level

Implementation of action lines Facilitation and Coordination Promoting CARE LAC work and strategies at a global level. Developing a comunicational strategy Regional encounters, conferences, site visits and Documentation based on learning purposes and Sharing experiences. Deph research, analysis and discussion of main issues: Child labor, BIE and Communitarian Education. Knowlege generation and managment Dissemination of information in regard to main issues of the education sector within and out of CARE. Virtual conferences and actualized issues on education for development.

CARE-Bolivia Líneas de trabajo desarrolladas Actualización sobre Estrategia de Empoderamiento de la Mujer Pasantías y visitas a proyectos Centro América Institucionalización del ERAC LAC en CARE USA Agenda: LACRMU-BGE-OPS Participación en Foros y Eventos Regionales Potenciar las capacidades del recurso humano Incidencia política Información y sensibilización a personal nuevo

UPDATED ACHIEVEMENTS WORKING AS A REGIONAL PLATFORM allalldldallalldld A Coordinator has been nominated to lead and support the implementation of a bianual working Plan, this is Rouzena Zuazo from Bolivia, she is currently working with the collaborative and Finanacial suppport of the BGE and LARCMU. All country office have designed a member that is directly interacting with the Platform All CODs are aware of the importance of the new vision of education and have budgeted Items in regard to LAC ERAC activities. LAC ERAC have developed a regional agenda for advocacy issues scaled up to a regional Level : Bilingual and Multicultural Education and Child Labor –workload for Girls as the two main Issues that were pointed as a result of UCP analysis.

Interactive relations with regional key actors on the education sector, such as the Community of Adean Nations. International Labor Organization, Regional Committe of Education for ALL, CEPAL,UNICEF, UNESCO and other INGOs. The LAC ERAC has been identified by HQ and other regions, as a regional model of knowlege managment and advocay on eduction issues Lessons learned and best practices on Advocacy issues on Child Labor (Primero Aprendo CA, SOY Ecuador and Asosmin in Bolivia) ia

CHANLLENGED NEXT STEPS Development of list of impact indicators framework, to be targeted within the region to underline causes of poverty. Enhace education programming to fosued on impact in human conditions, social- economic conditions and supportive enviroment. Assesment on the operational incorporation of gender equity, human rights and governance focus in the education programming. Be a well recognized representative of CARE and other institutions on eduction boards of discussion and advocacy at a global level Information system developed to organize the regional programming and strategies that impact in education.

THANK YOU Our compromise is with our region and its people!! Trabajamos por una América Latina digna!!