El Salvador CWM header photo of priest offering communion to students

Mano Amiga Catholic School in El Salvador

Population: 6,141,350
Percent Below Poverty Line: 36.5%

The Mano Amiga San Antonio school is located in a rural area of the “Departamento de La Paz,” near the central coast of El Salvador. The families with children in the Mano Amiga school come from the municipalities of Santiago Nonualco, San Pedro Masahuat and San Luis La Herradura, in the district of La Paz. The majority of families have very scarce economic resources, with low incomes. Most of them work in the informal sector as fishermen, market vendors, sugar cane planters; and those who work in the formal sector have a high level of instability. Mano Amiga San Antonio strives to provide to families in the community with opportunities as well.

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Mano Amiga San Antonio

School Facts Programs and Activities Nutrition Program Updates Help a Child Today

Students: 395
Founded: 2002
Location: San Antonio, El Salvador

The educational model of the Mano Amiga San Antonio school is based on the dignity of the human person. It provides children and youth who are in poverty and in vulnerable conditions the opportunity to obtain a comprehensive high level Catholic education; where they learn human, moral and spiritual principles; as well as values to strengthen the family, break the cycle of poverty, overcome the threat of social violence, and achieve personal, family and community development.

Mano Amiga San Antonio Students Playing - El Salvador

Programs and Activities

Educational programs: provide comprehensive education for children and young people in human, spiritual and social fields.

Health program: includes first level health care for students and teaching staff. There students and teachers can get basic clinical examinations, eye care, hearing and oral health diagnostics.

Economic Development Program: Individual communication and guidance to parents to help them with family economic sustainability, and student permanence approach with the school as a development center. The institution works on the basis of the development of competencies, with support by VIS Foundation teaching methodologies, with intensive training programs aimed at the teachers, staff and parents. It seeks academic excellence as a mean for the development of personalized competencies; which leads to better assimilation and the achievement of positive results in the application of knowledge and skills.

Extracurricular Activities

Full time-Inclusive school:Activities are scheduled throughout the school day to help the students acquire practical skills in technology, sports, artistic activities, and religion to name a few. In addition to the Mano Amiga students, other students are served from four schools in the surrounding areas.

Adult literacy: High school students participate in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the support of teachers.

Tutoring courses: Students of all degrees are able to receive additional afternoon classes to improve their academic performance.

Homework club: Students of all grades, referred and volunteers, receive support from teachers in the afternoon to do their homework tasks.

Parent’s school: Parents participate in monthly sessions to acquire knowledge and skills related to family and parenting issues.

Group of adults in El Salvador sitting and watching someone speak

Nutrition Program

In 2015 Mano Amiga San Antonio introduced a new nutrition program for students. A nutrition program was necessary for the students because they were undernourished and eating meals without vegetables or meat. The program not only serves the students, but their parents as well. It is teaching them that adequate nutrition is important for the growth of their children. So far the program is showing great results! Students are working with their parents, despite financial and economic obstacles, to eat well-rounded meals.

Also, this year the VIS Foundation began building a Church. The community is so excited because the priest will also be serving the students of Mano Amiga. Students, teachers, and the community will be receiving integral moral formation, thanks to the help of Catholic World Mission donors.

See more photos below:

2017

Thanks to your generosity during the 2017 Back to School campaign, Mano Amiga San Antonio was able to make some much-needed structural repairs to ensure the safety of students and teachers!

Bathrooms: new tile floors, new stall doors installed
Cafeteria: the corrugated metal roof was previously supported only by rough hewn wooded poles; the roof was completely replaced with new metal sheeting, and new concrete support beams. They were even able to install electricity and lights!
Doors and Ceilings: old door knobs, cabinet handles, and ceiling panels were replaced with brand new ones

Thank you!

Little boy hugging wall and smiling at camera in El Salvador

Check out the pictures of the new construction you made possible:

Their School is Falling Apart

In the Mano Amiga El Salvador school the children gain opportunities that otherwise they would scarcely be able to dream of. Unfortunately, the school building is aging and in need of some very important repairs. The ceiling needs repair work and around the school building itself there are many repairs needed for the security of the students. Additionally, the students struggle to concentrate in the extreme heat of the classrooms that need maintenance on the AC units or some that don’t have AC at all!