Annual Community Evaluations
[photo] Education specialists and CONAPAC team ready to head to a community on day one
Adopt-A-School evaluations inform our programs
Evaluation Week commentary by CONAPAC Director Megan McDaniel
[photo] -Education specialists and environmentalist with a community member in the community of Los Invisibles del Amazonas
Each year, the CONAPAC team visits every partner community together with specialists from the Board of Education both at the beginning of the school year when we do the school supply distributions and again during end-of-year evaluations in late October or early November. These visits are essential for understanding how students, teachers, and families are doing and for both our planning for CONAPAC’s priorities for the coming year and also for the Education officials for their planning for teachers for each school.
[Photo] --Evaluation team visits Pucallpa
This year’s evaluations took place from November 2 to 7. With a dedicated team of 24 people, we were able to visit all 49 partner communities. Our seven field teams included school specialists and an environmentalist for each community. While the school specialists observed classrooms and interviewed teachers and principals, the environmental specialist met with families and community leaders to hear their perspectives on the year’s successes and challenges. One recurring theme we heard this year was that the higher-than-average water levels in May, June, July, and August led to a loss of plantain and corn crops, as well as flooding of some of the recently planted fruit trees. The communities are already preparing in case the water returns to these high levels again this coming year.
[Photo] -The complete evaluations team
The information that we receive guides the planning of our programs, ensuring that every project, whether educational, environmental, or clean water related, responds directly to community needs. Evaluations are also a key part of maintaining accountability and measuring impact across the Amazon communities we serve.
[photo] -Students in Jorge Chavez woking on math skills
Coordinating this effort is a challenge each year: recruiting specialists, informing communities, arranging lodging and transportation with Explorama Lodges, and managing hundreds of kilometers of river travel. We are deeply grateful to everyone who dedicated their time and expertise to making this year’s evaluations possible. Your support of our Adopt-A-School program helps us continue to reach these remote communities. It ensures every student and family benefits from programs designed with their voices at the center.
Coming Soon--GivingTuesday!
Barb at the community of Ramon Castilla
"The very first time I stepped off the boat, greeted by music and welcome signs, I was enthralled. That the ENTIRE community is there is heartwarming. And most importantly, we aren’t giving these beautiful people a hand out so much as a hand up. I love it so much that I am a donor as well as a volunteer!!!"
Barb Cleveland, faithful CONAPAC donor and Adopt-A-School volunteer
This GivingTuesday and the rest of December, we hope you will donate to our Adopt-A-School program to help us provide school supplies to every child in our partner communities. Our end-of-year goal is 65,000, and we believe we can reach it with your help! (All donations are received by our partners, the Detroit Zoo; 100% of your donation is transferred directly to CONAPAC.) Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and succeed. Help us give them the tools they need.
Here is how you can get ready to give:
-Mark your calendar.
-Give. On December 2, go to https://www.conapac.org/be-involved and give. There you can see ways to support us in our mission to promote conservation of the rainforest through education.
-Spread the word. Encourage your friends and family to join you in creating real impact on December 2 by sharing what our mission means to you and why you support our organization
Want to donate?
We have several long-time donors and partner organizations who work tirelessly for CONAPAC; with you, we can do so much for our communities.
Our work is only possible with the many other donations, big and small, that we receive throughout the year.
