education « FairMail

Posts Tagged ‘education’

FairMail manager and former photographer Anidela has graduated!

Tuesday, May 11th, 2021

A major achievement for her and an endless source of pride for FairMail

Anidela joined FairMail in 2011 when she was 13 old. After retiring as a photographer, she applied for the position of FairMail Operational Manager in Peru and she has been working in this position ever since. Parallel to her commitment in FairMail, Anidela has never ceased to pursue her number 1 goal which was graduating from university. With a research thesis on the working conditions of the employees of a medium-size Peruvian agricultural company, on April 14, 2021, she graduated from the faculty of Administración de Empresas y Servicios (Business Administration) at the Universidad Privada “Leonardo da Vinci”. After 5 years and over 50 exams, her dream came true. We interviewed Anidela about her achievement and this is what she told us:

Anidela, why did you choose Business Administration?
At first, I was more interested in Accounting. In High School I was particularly good with numbers so I thought that Accounting would match my talent with numbers. Then I met an employee of the company where my father works, and she inspired me to pursue a career in Business Administration. I am very happy with my choice now because Business Administration has a more comprehensive curriculum that also includes human resources, occupational health and salary management, so I have more chances to find a job.

You have reached a major life goal; how do you feel about that?
I couldn’t be happier. The day of the presentation of my thesis I was very nervous, I hadn’t been able to sleep and eat properly for a week! Due to Covid restrictions, the presentation was online, and I decided to present my research from the FairMail office because the internet connection in my house is not always reliable and I didn’t want to take any risks. Fortunately, all went well! I am also particularly proud of the fact that, thanks to my proceeds from FairMail, I was able to finance my studies alone, without impacting the family budget. I’ve always been independent and that is a priceless feeling.

How does your family feel about you graduating?
They are very proud of me. I am the first in my family to graduate, which makes them very happy. I am very lucky because they have always supported my choice and I have always felt that they were on my side throughout these years.

What role did FairMail play in your education?
I always think that if it hadn’t been for FairMail I wouldn’t have enrolled at university, let alone graduate. When I was a photographer, I kept reminding myself that if I worked well and took good pictures, I would have more chances to sell them and I would earn more money to pay for my studies, and that’s what happened. My family couldn’t afford to cover the costs of my studies as my older sister was also studying at that time, so FairMail played an instrumental role in my education.

Any plans for the future?
Well…a lot! First of all, I plan to keep working as FairMail operational manager, it’s a job that I really like and that gives me financial stability, which is very important considering the times we’re living in. When things improve, I would like to look for a part-time job in Business Administration. My long-term goal is to set up my own chocolate candy business. This is something that I have been doing informally for many years now and I would like to turn it into a small side business.

Anidela’s achievement is FairMail’s achievement as she perfectly embodies our mission: promoting education as the driving force to social and economic empowerment so we couldn’t be happier to see her reach this milestone.

Congratulations, Anidela, you have made us all very happy and proud!

Tags: dream, education, goal, graduation, mission, school, study
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

First former FairMail India photographer admitted into national university

Wednesday, September 20th, 2017

Former FairMail India photographer Anil Rao

Ever since FairMail India had to close its doors there has been less news about the teenagers who used to be part of the FairMail India team. But this time we have some huge news: Anil Rao managed to pass the entrance exam and get admitted to study chemistry, zoology and botany at the BHU University in Varanasi! Passing the entrance exam is normally already a huge achievement but Anil managed to do so with even bigger challenges in his personal life.

Anil’s father passes away

Anil entered FairMail India at the age of 14 and was always somewhat the professor of the group, aiming to become a big man as he called it by studying at the BHU university. Just before finishing high school his father passed away due to tuberculosis, leaving his family behind with Anil as the oldest son. At that moment, we were all terribly worried he would have to give up his academic aspirations in order to earn a living for his family. Luckily his mother managed to earn some money and Anil could work as assistant manager for FairMail India at the time.

Anil with his family

Fighting tuberculosis

When FairMail India had to close his doors our partner Asha Deep employed Anil by making him responsible for the teenagers’ money withdrawals from their FairMail funds. Then tragedy struck again, this time his sister got TBC causing new stress and of course the fear the disease would continue to spread within the family. Eventually it did and Anil was also diagnosed with TBC.

After fighting the disease during more than a year Anil’s health improved and he could focus full force again on his study and prepare for the entrance exam with private tuition.

A dream comes true

With as result that Anil passed the entrance exam. On the 20th of July 2017, his dream came true and he will start his 3 year bachelor study at the public university, aiming at specializing in chemistry after 2 years. As it is a public university the costs of studying are quite low, so Anil hopes to save the earnings from the continued sale of his FairMail cards for his master’s study in the future.

It goes without saying that we are extremely proud of Anil and hope that his success is a source of inspiration for the other former FairMail teenagers in his surroundings.

Tags: anil rao, education, results, social impact, teenagers
Posted in FairMail, India | No Comments »

Second FairMail teenager graduates from University

Wednesday, July 12th, 2017

Yuli at the moment of her graduation

11 years after FairMail started, former photographer Yuli (23, Peru) gave us the best birthday present of all by graduating from University.

An amazing achievement if you consider that as a little girl Yuli had to help her parents select stones and gravel at the quarry to help make ends meet after moving from the mountains to the big city. One generation later their daughter got a bachelor title in Languages from the highly ranked national university of Trujillo. And Yuli is not planning to stop right there.

An amazing path
Yuli entered FairMail in 2008 at the age of 15 years, after being scouted from the YMCA project that works with at risk teenagers near the Trujillo land-fill. Back then she was a very shy girl but it was already clear that she wanted to achieve more in life.

She reached her goal of passing the entrance exam for the National University on her second try in 2013, the same year she travelled to Europe for FairMail’s promotional tour. She soon got the hang of travelling, going to the United States for the past 2 winters to practice her English while working in resort hotels.

Read more about Yuli’s path on her personal profile page or in this video:

Next steps
Yuli wants to keep on studying to get a MSc. degree in Education. “I am checking to see if I can do my master degree in another country through a scholarship or something like that. I always believed that investing in education is the best step towards success” she says. No doubt that the income she keeps earning from the sale of her FairMail cards, on top of the 8.744 euro she already earned, will come in handy for that.

Yuli next to her very proud mother

Shining example
Yuli’s success is not only benefitting herself. She has also become a shining example for her surroundings. 2 of her brothers and sisters are now also in university. And during her 2 years as co-manager of FairMail Peru she inspired many of the current FairMail teenagers to believe in their own dreams. “I always told everyone that you have to do what you really like if you want to pick the fruits of your efforts.” Yuli says.

Wise lessons from Yuli
Yuli has more lessons for all of us: “I also believe that is very important to never disappoint the people that believe in you, that support you and that love you. It doesn’t matter what your goal in life is, what really matters is how much effort, dedication and affection you put into achieving it.”

This way she shows great respect to her parents who greatly sacrificed themselves so their children could have a better future. And also making the best possible use of the assistance FairMail gives to underprivileged teenagers.

Tags: education, impact, results, social impact, teenagers, yuli
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Mission Possible: working on personal goals

Sunday, April 23rd, 2017

Angelica and her goal to get into National University

Juan Gabriel and his goal to pay for the first 2 years of his private university himself (before he can get a scholarship)

Money alone is not enough

The money the teenagers earn with the sale of their cards will get them nowhere without a personal goal for the future which they believe in. Now that FairMail founder Janneke graduated as adolescents coach we started a new project called Mission Possible. During a shared 11-step program each teenager sets a personal goal and works on it, sharing each step in the group and taking their families and other supporters along in the process too.

The goals the FairMail teenagers chose are mostly educational goals, like getting into the National University, ending on first place in class on high school and getting admitted in a football academy. These are ambitious goals, for which you need confidence, persistence and some help along the way.

Paul want to get into a local soccer academy

Paul wants to get into a local soccer academy

Medalit want to get at least an 85% score in high school so her parents will be proud of her

Medalit wants to get at least an 85% score in high school so her parents will be proud of her

The power of a symbol

Each teenager chose a symbol to carry along with him or her as extra motivator and to remind them of the goal they set for themselves. The teenagers made the life size symbols in these pictures themselves. Each expressing what they want to achieve over the coming 12 months.

An important part of this project is about the teenagers becoming more aware of what they have achieved so far and which qualities they already have inside them. Qualities which they can use in reaching their goals. Another step is to think about possible setbacks and make a plan for when those setbacks might come along. They keep track of the progress they make and motivate each other in their challenges.

Positive results

So far the results have been positive: we see their inner motivation grow and little by little also their self-confidence and trust that their goals become within reach, step by step!

You can follow their development by staying tuned into their personal profile pages on the FairMail website.

Yulissa want to get first place in her final year of high school

Yulissa wants to get first place in her final year of high school

Dante wants to get admitted in a soccer academy

Bryan want to get admitted to the National University

Bryan wants to get admitted to the National University

Tags: education, social impact, teenagers
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Maria flor: FairMail’s first university graduate

Wednesday, September 7th, 2016

This year FairMail is celebrating its tenth anniversary. We got the biggest gift of all from former FairMail Peru photographer Maria flor who became the first FairMail teenager to get a university degree! And also the first in her family. In July she defended her thesis successfully and finished the 5-year communications sciences degree at the UCV private university.

Stand out from the rest
When Maria flor started studying she had a very clear goal: to stand out from the rest. As this would be the best guarantee for a better future. A clear example of this is the story she told about her best memory over the past 5 years:

“At my private university the monthly fees are very high. When I went to pay for my second semester the secretary told me I didn’t have to pay anything as I got the highest grades of all during the first semester. I was sure it had to be a mistake. So I asked her to check again please. But it was true. I was in shock and couldn’t think at all. But later in the bus back home I was very happy that all my effort, dedication, determination and invested time had been worthwhile.”

In many of the following semesters Maria flor repeated this performance and received more scholarships for her high scores.

Finding a job in Peru
Even with a university degree finding a good job is not easy in Peru. A lot depends on who you know amongst potential employers so they can recommend you. Moreover, most employers are looking for employees with experience. And usually the first years you have to deal with being lowest in the hierarchy so your next job can be better. To increase your chances to find a job it is also very important to have various degrees.

Plans for the future
So it looks like Maria flor isn’t finished studying yet. She wants to complement her degree with studying English, graphic design and audio visual techniques. And she wants to work as Au Pair in the USA for one year.

“Perhaps it sounds a bit crazy because normally after finishing university people look for a job. But I want to try something different as I like learning new things, work on my English and feel that I can do something by myself as I have always lived with my mother, brothers and sister. When I return I want to study “international business” and travel to Canada as there are opportunities for Peruvian students to do an internship there.”

That’s Maria flor, always working on new goals.

The next generation
With Maria flor out of university we currently have two Peruvian teenagers in University: Yuli and Anidela. Actually three as Juan Gabriel just started studying communication sciences at the UPAO private university in August. On his way to become FairMail’s first male university graduate?

Tags: education, maria_flor, Peru, results, social impact, teenagers
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Social Impact Measurement 2015

Wednesday, April 27th, 2016

Angeles earning money while learning photography

We are proud to present the results of FairMail’s third annual Social Impact Measurement. Below you can read which actual impact you are creating by sending FairMail’s fair trade greeting cards and purchasing our fair trade images.

“Earning while learning”

In 2015 the 55 teenage photographers earned a total of 23.601 euro to invest in their own education, their families’ housing and medical care. Money they earned while learning photography for free in the self-funded “youth centre” that FairMail is for them. This means that one year before FairMail’s 10^th anniversary we passed the 165.000 euro mark in total direct earnings by all of the teenagers.

Anidela in front of the university where she is studying

The top earning teenagers in 2015 were Anidela and Kzanier from Peru, with 1.666 and 1.132 euro in year earnings last year. Anidela (18) is presently studying business administration at a private university and Kzanier (16) is saving to start studying graphic design at a private university next year after he finishes high school.

FairMail dropout rate is much lower than national average

Their earnings are crucial for the teenagers to be able to fulfil their dreamed future plans. But money alone is no guarantee, as success also depends on their own perseverance, family situation and personal motivation.

Due to a mix of these reasons, 22% (21% in 2014 and 20% in 2013) of the teenagers who started FairMail did not make it to the retirement age of 19 years old. These 12 teenagers either lost motivation along the way, were drawn back into problems by “old friends” or faced such big personal problems that they could not continue with FairMail. In 2015 FairMail had to say good bye to 2 teenagers because of similar reasons. Both are still getting money from the sale of their cards to finance their current education. One of them is still in high school, the other one is studying to become an accountant.

Diana, Jorge and Angeles after finishing high school

47 of the 55 kids that started FairMail either finished or are still in secondary school (that was also the case in 2014 with a similar 85% and 86% in 2013). Not bad considering the background of the teenagers FairMail works with. Also if you compare the percentage to the national average of 42% of all Indian teenagers who finish high school (or 62% of the poorest quintile of Peruvian teenagers finishing high school). Unfortunately 8 FairMail teenagers did drop out of high school due to a mix of reasons like having to earn money to supplement the family income or lack of motivation for school.

97% of FairMail teenagers continue learning after finishing high school

Of the FairMail teenagers who finished high school, 59% (52% in 2014 and 40% in 2013) has continued on to (pre-) university. It seems like the will for academic education is becoming more and more contagious in FairMail’s positive group atmosphere. 38% (43% in 2014 and 47% in 2013) of them have continued with some sort of vocational training. In total that adds up to 97% of FairMail teenagers continuing with learning after finishing high school. We are very proud of this nearly 100% score! Only 1 teenager decided not to continue studying anything at all after finishing high school. He started his own business (buying and selling of livestock) which doesn’t require vocational training as his father-in-law taught him the necessary tips and tricks. So we are also very proud of him!

The teenagers aiming for a better future

94% of “retired” FairMail teenagers have broken the chain of poverty

At this moment 69% (65% in 2014 and 68% in 2013) of the FairMail teenagers are still studying something. Of those not studying anymore 65% (77% in 2014 and 55% in 2013) has a decent job (varying from tourism to teaching to sales). 5 teenagers (29%, just like in 2014 and 23% in 2013) have their own business or are self-employed (varying from a bakery to producing soccer balls and from photography to mechanic). This way they have broken the chain of poverty and can start building a family that will provide much better opportunities for their children than the families where they grew up in. (7% of the ex-FairMail teenagers already have kids of their own!)

Not all is success though. One (17% in 2014 and 22% in 2013) of the former teenagers has a rather bad situation having to perform household chores and one teenager has passed away due to illness. Also we lost 12 teenagers along the way, dropping out of FairMail before reaching the retirement age of 19. We continue to sell their cards though and try to keep in contact with them to help however we can. Luckily all 12 of them are doing pretty well at this moment, either still being in school, investing in their own business or working.

Visual showing FairMail’s input, activities, output, outcome and impact in 2015.

Visual showing FairMail’s input, activities, output, outcome and impact in 2015. Click to view large version.

Tags: anidela, education, kzanier, results, social impact
Posted in FairMail | No Comments »

Schools in Peru closed early due to “El Nino”

Tuesday, December 8th, 2015

In Peru the school year normally ends in December. However, this year the Peruvian government decided to speed things up with classes 6 days a week so they could already finish in November. This way the government hoped to finish the exams in time for the heavy “El Nino” rains that are expected to start in December. These would most likely mean that a large part of the students can’t make it to school for their final exams due to expected floodings.

During the last big “El Nino” in 1998 Huanchaco became isolated due to dry river beds turning into raging rivers, displacing many families who had nowhere else to build their homes. Fingers crossed this time it won’t be so devastating and that the preventive measures will prevent similar tragedies.

Although the final report cards aren’t in yet it seems that all of the current FairMail teenagers in Peru passed on to the next grade this year. Hurray! Even Dante who broke his right arm in a soccer match last month managed to finish primary school as he was allowed to do his final exams orally.

FairMail Peru photographer Juan Gabriel standing in front of the Kepler Academy

In the meantime, two high school graduates from earlier this year, Juan Gabriel and Maria de los Angeles, are preparing themselves for the big entry exam for the National University (UNT) in March next year. On average only the top 10% with the highest scores are allowed into the UNT.

As 17 year old Juan Gabriel finished high school studying only in the weekends he has a lot of catching up to do. With his part of the earnings from the sale of his FairMail cards he is now studying at the Kepler academy in Trujillo 6 days a week. Besides teaching him new subjects which he never learned before he also gets to practice a lot of old exams. Every week his test results are increasing so he seems to be on the right track for the March exam.

In the meantime, 18 year old Angeles is choosing a different route. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a high enough score in last March’s admission exam due to nerves. Therefore, this time she is studying at the CEPUNT institute. This is a very competitive institute which guarantees direct entry into the university for the students with the highest average marks after 3 partial exams. If she manages to finish in the top 8 of over 60 CEPUNT students who want to study social work like Angeles does she will enter the university directly. She finished in 18^th place after the first partial exam, so Angeles still has a lot of work to do. Fingers crossed for her next partial exam coming Sunday.

Tags: education, juan_gabriel, Maria de los Angeles, Peru, school, teenagers
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Juan Gabriel is top of the class

Wednesday, July 15th, 2015

FairMail Peru photographer Juan Gabriel

The high school graduation wave in Peru still isn’t over. After 3 teenagers graduating in December, it was Juan Gabriel’s turn last month. He didn’t just graduate, he actually got the highest marks of all of his class mates!

Because Juan Gabriel spent a period of his youth wondering on the streets singing for money he got behind in school. The staff of the street children project he moved into thought it would be best for little Juan to get a more practical education and job experience. In order for him to get a high school degree he assisted a special weekend school which allows its students to work during the week. And with great success!

Juan Gabriel’s certificate

It turns out that Juan Gabriel has quiet some academic potential though. He even wants to pursue further studies at the university. The coming months he will prepare himself for the admission exam at a private institute, with the money he earned from the sale of his cards. This way he hopes to get in uni to study communication sciences. He will need a high score in his admission exam to get in, so brushing up his knowledge will be necessary.

Juan Gabriel’s mother in front of their home.

On top of that he is also studying English at another institute and got a scholarship to study photography outside of FairMail. All in all Juan Gabriel is doing a great job in developing his potential and be able to help his family in the future. Because, despite the problems they had when he was young, he hopes to be able to build a real house on the piece of land his family squatted on the edge of the city. And that way providing him with a bed that doesn’t get wet when it rains.

Click here to congratulate Juan Gabriel.

Tags: education, juan_gabriel, Peru, results, social impact, teenagers
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

FairMail’s social impact in 2014

Friday, January 30th, 2015

Yomira when still at high school

After FairMail’s first social impact measurement last year we are happy to present the new figures of FairMail’s social impact over 2014.

When FairMail was set up in 2006, besides bringing photos with an original perspective into the market, our – more important – goal was to accomplish our social mission:

“to give at-risk teenagers the opportunity to create a better future for themselves.”

But how much impact did we create in our eight years of operation and in 2014 specifically? And what did the teenagers accomplish with their earnings?

“Earning while learning”

In 2014 the 52 teenage photographers earned 32.080 euro (20.530 euro in 2013) to invest in their own education, their families’ housing and medical care.

This way, for the first time in FairMail’s 8 year history passing the 150.000 euro mark in total direct earnings by the 52 FairMail teenagers.

The top earners in Peru and India were Elmer and Sandhya with 2.025 and 3.564 euro respectively. In second place came Yomira and Dhiraj with 1.349 and 2.132 euro each.

FairMail dropout rate is much lower than national average

These earnings are crucial for the teenagers to be able to fulfill their dreamed future plans. But money alone is no guarantee as success also depends on their perseverance, family situation and motivation for FairMail.

Due to a mix of these reasons, 21% (20% in 2013) of the teenagers who started FairMail did not make it to the retirement age of 19 years old. These 11 teenagers either lost motivation along the way, were drawn back into problems by “old friends” or faced such big personal problems that they could not continue with FairMail.

85% (86% in 2013) of all the kids that started FairMail either finished or are still in secondary school. Not bad considering the background of the teenagers FairMail works with. Also if you compare the percentage to the national average of 52% of all Indian teenagers that makes it to tenth grade (or 65% of all children in Peru finishing high school).

95% of FairMail teenagers continue learning after finishing high school

Of those FairMail teenagers who finished high school during their time with FairMail 52% (40% in 2013) has continued on to (pre-) university. 43% (47% in 2013) of them have continued with some sort of vocational training. Only 5% (13% in 2013) decided not to continue studying at all after finishing high school, because they could get a job which didn’t require vocational training.

83% of “retired” FairMail teenagers have broken the chain of poverty

At this moment 65% (68% in 2013) of the FairMail teenagers are still studying something. Of those not studying anymore 77% (55% in 2013) has a decent job (varying from administration to construction to sales). 29% (23% in 2013) has his or her own business or is self-employed (varying from a bakery to producing soccer balls and from photography to mechanic). This way they have broken the chain of poverty and can start building a family that will provide much better opportunities for their children than the families where they grew up in. (8% of the ex-FairMail teenagers already have kids of their own!)

Not all is success though. Still 17% (22% in 2013) of the retired teenagers are either unemployed or have a marginalized or an unstable job (varying from doing household chores to being in jail). 2 out of 3 teenagers who are in this situation happen to be teenagers that didn’t finish the FairMail program until the age of 19. This only shows the importance of FairMail’s long term approach and guidance.

Tags: education, results, social impact, teenagers
Posted in FairMail | No Comments »

Four Peruvian teenagers graduate from high school

Friday, January 30th, 2015

Diana, Jorge and Angeles with their high school certificates

As you can read in FairMail’s second yearly social impact report, 2014 was a great year for most of our Peruvian FairMail (ex-) participants: half of the team graduated from high school! A big congratulations to Anidela (16), Angeles (17), Diana (16) and Jorge (18) for persevering in their high school years.

Angeles already graduated in the beginning of the year. Since then she is studying extremely hard at the private Kepler academy, preparing for the exam to enter the national university of Trujillo on the 15th of March. This is the hardest university to get into and her public high school level isn’t high enough so that is why she invests in this expensive academy. Her grades during the trial exams are very promising but as she says herself she shouldn’t become overconfident and relaxed. To be continued…

Jorge with his certificate

Jorge finished high school in June as he attended a weekend school aimed at people who need to combine their high school with work. Since then, besides attending FairMail, he has been working and orienting on his further education. This month he is enrolling to study as chef and as driver/mechanic of heavy vehicles. He hopes to combine working as a cook on the short term with finishing the heavy vehicles course on the long term. This would allow him to get a well-paid job in a construction company in one of the many new mines in Peru.

Diana with her certificate

Diana just finished high school in December, in the same school as Angeles. Instead of taking well deserved summer holiday’s she went straight on taking summer courses. In March she will start a 5 year communication sciences study at the Cesar Vallejo private university in Trujillo.

Anidela also finished in December, in second place of her high school class. She is also skipping summer holidays to attend the preparatory academy for the Leonardo de Vinci private university in Trujillo. In March she will start to fulfill her long cherished dream of studying business administration at the university with the scholarship she earned.

Tags: angeles, anidela, Diana, education, Jorge, Peru, results, social impact
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

FairMail

Posts Tagged ‘education’

FairMail manager and former photographer Anidela has graduated!

Schools in Peru closed early due to “El Nino”

Search

Posts

Blog