Daniel Chavez Moran: Education in the Battle Against Poverty

As the son of a school teacher in Mexico, Daniel Chavez Moran remembers the lessons taught to him by his mother who dedicated her life to helping children combat the destructive combination of ignorance and poverty. That is why Chavez Moran created Fundación Delia Moran A.C. in 2002 in his mother’s honor to provide assistance to children ages 6 to 12 whose day-to-day life is a constant struggle.

But more needs to be done to battle poverty through education according to WorldFund.org , founded by Luanne Zurlo after a nine-year career as a securities analyst on Wall Street:

 Without a high-level education, Latin American children will continue to lack the skills necessary for entering the workforce and participating in the increasingly competitive global economy.

• 50 million people in Latin America cannot read or write.
•  Latin Americans receive an average of six years of schooling, compared to nine-and-a-half years in the OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) countries.
• Nearly one-third of children in primary school in Latin America repeat a grade. The additional cost to the region's education systems has been estimated at $4 billion per year.
• Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru rank behind Uganda, Zambia, Botswana and Burundi in the quality of their math and science education.
• In Mexico, only 13 percent of adults receive a high school diploma versus 87 percent of American adults.
• Over 50 percent of Mexican and Brazilian 15-year old youth are functionally illiterate and thus unable to compete in today's economy.

Daniel Chavez Moran salutes the work of WorldFund.org and the dedication of all of those involved in this important effort “to minimize the education gap in Latin America by investing in high-quality and outcome-driven schools and education programs that serve impoverished children.”

Related posts: Daniel Chavez Moran on youth and social inclusion and Daniel Chavez Moran honors his mother’s work.