Past PROJECTs

INDIA: Bhagalpur Science Project
Abako Foundation partnered with the Natkhat Science Lab to set up 15 science labs in elementary schools in Bhagalpur, India. Abako equipped the labs, and the Natkhat team conducted science teacher and student training, allowing them to learn and apply science concepts to innovative prototypes. In addition, teachers and students participated in a yearly science fair where they showcased their learning and new mechanical designs.

CHIAPAS: Rehabilitation of the Sensory Integration Classroom
Due to a flood, this small elementary school in a small rural community of Chiapas was severely damaged. With approximately 62 special needs children, the project involved the rehabilitation of the physical therapy classroom and the playground area improvement. The project leader and the parents worked together to secure a safe learning environment for their children.

MORELOS: Learning after an Earthquake
On September 19, 2017, a powerful 7.1 earthquake shook central Mexico, including the State of Morelos, that displaced hundreds of students and teachers whose schools suffered partial or total structural damage. The Abako team visited the area, toured the devastated schools, and collaborated with local education officials and other organizations to implement emergency plans to restore classes for hundreds of children in the affected areas. While life took a devastating turn for many residents and schools in the affected area, resuming some class time in temporary classrooms became a welcome distraction for children.

GUERRERO: The Reading Tree
This telesecundaria (Junior High School with a distance education program) is located in a rural community in the highlands of Guerrero serving a total of 64 students ranging in ages between 13-16 years of age. There are three grade levels with a teacher per level, a principal, and one administrative staff. The project consisted of implementing a year-long reading program to introduce students to the habit of reading and improve comprehension skills.

MALI: The Textbook Project
Since 2016, Abako has worked with Malian school supplying textbooks for students in Basic Education schools. Four more schools participated in the textbook project in 2018. Many of those students have never owned a textbook before, and some of them have their textbooks closeby while doing their daily chores. Because there have been some school closures, students rely on their textbooks as links to knowledge. They have honored their commitment to using their books and continue learning.  A couple of elementary students who graduated at the top of their class, are in junior high school now and continue to excel in their academic endeavors.

YUCATAN: Improving Early Education for Mayan Children
To improve learning and the learning environment for over 300 infants and children and their mothers in the Tizimin area of Yucatan, 12 Initial Education Centers received new classroom furniture that is safer for children, and teachers received age-appropriate materials to develop infants and children motor, physical, and cognitive skills.

PUEBLA: Improving Reading Skills with a New Technology
The Principal of this small elementary school in a rural community of Puebla wanted her students to develop a love for reading and read at grade level. The project consisted of setting up a school-wide reading program with books and materials that teachers implemented through the school year. A specific classroom housed books and equipment with internet access to reading software that allowed students to read for fun while improving their academic work.

YUCATAN: Having Fun Learning Math
This bilingual elementary school in Yucatan works with approximately 100 Mayan-Spanish-speaking students who needed materials to support math instruction. The Principal and teachers designed a new instruction plan to help students learn and manipulate math concepts. Four months after their project was approved, the school invited the Abako team to the school-wide Math Fair, where thanks to the extraordinary work of the teaching team, students displayed great strides in learning math!

YUCATAN: Language Classrooms
The Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana serves approximately 4000 students from marginalized communities in the outskirts of Merida. Depending on the semester, the Language Department offers between 75-122 different classes with 25 students each. An English teacher proposed the creation of two smart classrooms to enhance foreign language learning, and Abako agreed to collaborate in the project. Now, there are two ABAKO smart-classrooms, as students call them, and over 20  different language teachers use them.

YUCATAN: Reading Corners
The New Education Reform in Basic Education in Mexico required this junior high school to create and implement a school-wide reading program to support all content areas. The Principal and teachers at this middle school worked hard for weeks to design a reading plan with concrete and measurable goals for the 2018-19 school year. Abako had the pleasure to support their reading program by providing books and bookcases for each of the five classrooms. Six months later, students presented an excellent school-wide program to highlight activities from their Reading Corners project that included book summaries, puppet plays, short plays, and recitations. 

MALI: New Textbooks for All Subjects
The Darsalam school had not received new textbooks for teacher and students for several years. This lack of textbooks meant that teachers had to write much content on the blackboard, and students had to either copy it or just read it while in class. Textbooks are a tool for learning, and this school can spend more time on classroom discussions than copying from the board.

MALI: New Textbooks to Facilitate Learning
Two more junior high schools in Mali have collaborated with Abako Foundation in the textbook project: Darsalam and Nampossela. Both have received new textbooks for teachers and students for all subjects. Having textbooks means that students won't have to spend most of their class time copying content from the blackboard but will have more time to engage in more discussions with teachers and peers.