A Discussion with Martin Haretche, National Director, Fe y Alegría Uruguay
With: Martin Haretche Berkley Center Profile
May 22, 2012
Can you tell me about your work in Fe y Alegría?
Fe y Alegría is represented in 19 countries overall, with 17 countries in Latin America. It is present in all Latin American countries except for Mexico and Costa Rica. In addition we are present in Chad, Africa, and in Spain, where the organization is called “Fe y Alegría Entre Culturas.”
As director I am charged with “lighting the way” for Fe y Alegría’s mission in Uruguay. All branches of Fe y Alegría join together in the International Federation of Fe y Alegría where we agree on a mission and general vision. Afterwards every country implements it in their specific context.
Here in Uruguay I am the director of the Uruguay Office. Aside from me there is, however, a team including the directors of the 21 educational centers that make up Fe y Alegría Uruguay. As a team we have designed a strategic plan with three lines: the first objective is the improvement of the educational quality in Fe y Alegría’s educational centers. The second objective is the professional and holistic training of the educators working in the Fe y Alegría Centers. The third objective is the economical and social sustainability of Fe y Alegría Uruguay. As director my job is to give guidance and help implement these objectives.
Can you tell me about the founding of Fe y Alegría in general and here in Uruguay?
On the national level Fe y Alegría was founded in 1955 in Venezuela, and as in Uruguay it originated from a university. Father Vélaz, the Jesuit who founded Fe y Alegría, worked in the campus ministry of the university in Caracas. With a group of youth from the university he decided to go work in the peripheral neighborhoods of Caracas.
The group went and asked the people of the neighborhoods what their needs were, and the people responded that what they needed was education for their children. So the group decided to dedicate itself to this work and quickly began looking for a place where it could be realized. During those days they crossed paths with a construction worker that worked in the neighborhood. The worker called the father and told him he was building a house for his family that had two floors, and offered the father to use the lower floor to teach classes. The house was on top of a hill, with no water or anything, and so he had spent eight years building the house where he was going to live with his wife and eight children.
At that time education was not mixed, and so classes started for the boys while the search for a room for the girls continued. So the construction worker offered the upper floor of his house as well. And that is where the first Fe y Alegría school began, in the encounter of the university, the communities, and this enormous act of generosity that I have no words for- where a person offered the house he had worked on for eight years, the home he was going to live in with his eight children. One remains speechless in the face of such acts. The worker stated that instead of being the home of his children, it would be the home of his entire village.
Here in Uruguay Fe y Alegría also originated in the University. It took a very long time, even though there were several attempts. This is because Mexico and Uruguay are the only Latin American countries where public education is solely managed by the state. In the rest of Latin America NGOs can also manage a school.
It was during the year 2008 that conversations began on whether or not it would be worth founding Fe y Alegría in Uruguay. And it was decided that it was. A unique characteristic of Fe y Alegría Uruguay is that it was founded by directors of centers, which were already in operation. In other countries, when Fe y Alegría is founded, the centers are also founded.
So in 2009 we began working with 6 centers, and now there are 21 centers which form a part of the Fe y Alegría Uruguay network. Three of them are formal educational centers, and the other 18 are centers for non-formal education, which have a contract with the state of Uruguay as well. Formal education is curricular education, which is focused on the student eventually reaching university. However the large majority of Uruguayans do not reach university. Non-formal education is much more personalized, and works on a counter schedule to formal education, however it doesn’t lead to any degree. Students go to formal primary school and afterwards visit non-formal education centers where they receive more personalized attention and so does their family, because there is a team with a psychologist, a social worker, etc.
Do children who attend a Fe y Alegría school have to pay tuition?
In the non-formal education centers they do not have to pay anything, because we have a contract with the state and so it finances the cost of those institutions. In the formal schools however, of which there are three at this time, those who can pay a reduced tuition fee and in addition we receive a lot of support from foundations and businesses that pay for scholarships. Fe y Alegría is interested in educating the poorest section of the population. In reality that is very difficult in formal education, because you have to pay teachers’ wages etc. What we are trying to do is combine the formal with the non-formal education, and thereby share part of the costs with the state. In Fe y Alegría we believe that the money for educating the poor must come from the state, and it is the state’s responsibility to provide this service.
The state has been more open and we are talking with authorities in education, but it’s a slow process. Historically it has been impossible to have the state cooperate with private schools, and currently this is mainly due to the unions. There is a conviction among the authorities that it would be positive to allow NGOs to participate in public education because they are specialized and dedicated to the topic of education. But there is a whole other sector, which is hard to convince. So it comes down to an ideological issue.
What about children who have dropped out of school?
There are some children, which have abandoned the formal education system, not as many in primary but mainly in secondary education. By way of non-formal education one tries to reinsert them into the system, but it is very difficult. We are talking about sectors with issues like drugs, robberies, etc. And most likely their parents never received formal education, so there is a very low valuation of education. Once students have dropped out of school it’s possible to get them to re-enroll, but it’s very difficult. In the Fe y Alegría schools we try to prevent this, which is why in all the schools there are programs for adolescents who are graduating from primary school. We try to help them so they don’t drop out of secondary education, which they are completing at a public school. In addition we hope that we will soon also have secondary schools within Fe y Alegría.
What is the relationship between Fe y Alegría, public education, and development?
One might ask what we are doing running an educational center with 500 students. It’s not going to change the reality of our country very much. But something that is key in all Fe y Alegría networks is the issue of public impact. We try not only to do our own programs, but also to share our experiences, so that they can be replicated in other schools. In Fe y Alegría we say we are not interested in making our schools the best, but rather we want public education to improve. For instance one thing we work on is the technical education of the teachers. We invite teachers from public schools in the area to the classes we give within Fe y Alegría.
There is a phrase stating, “The Fe y Alegría schools begin where the asphalt road ends.” But then the schools cause the asphalt to start appearing, so we also consider Fe y Alegría centers to be agents of development. What we strive for, and in some areas one achieves more than in others, is that processes of development are generated.
Would you say that Fe y Alegría education is still impacted by its Jesuit history, for instance by way of values?
A Jesuit founded Fe y Alegría, but there are more than 160 religious orders that work in it now. So it is true that there is a Jesuit mark, and the general coordinator of the international federation is a Jesuit. But there are lay people on the board of directors, and the national directors can also be lay people. There are, however, many differences between Fe y Alegría schools and public schools. In this country much is talked about how to improve the quality of the teachers that are in training, to have good professionals and workers. Forming an army of qualified workers is, however, not the goal of the Fe y Alegría centers and schools. We are trying to educate free people, with critical minds and the ability to transform the reality in which they are living. In order to achieve this it is important that they be highly qualified, but that is not the end but a mean. We are interested in educating people who are truly happy with what they are doing, and that can transform the social injustices, which they witness around them. If one compares the curriculum of the public education with the one we offer at Fe y Alegría, one can tell that we dedicate space for this kind of personal development. Public education only focuses on the academic subjects. In the public school discourse people are interested in how may students dropped out, how many didn’t, what the grades are, and what the results of studies such as PISA are, where Uruguay is descending. We are also interested in these things, but they are not the most essential. Obviously if we are receiving bad academic results this will worry us. But we don’t exclusively put our energy there.
Is Fe y Alegría also present in the interior of the country?
Yes we are located in four departments: Montevideo, Canelones, Maldonado, and Cerro Largo.
Are there differences in the amount of access to education between the capital and rural areas?
Primary education is attainable in all of Uruguay—everyone has access. But in the higher grades it becomes more difficult. For instance basically all universities are in Montevideo.
Up until what age does Fe y Alegría offer programs?
We offer non-formal education, and formal primary education. In non-formal education there are programs in the CAIF centers that are for 0 to 3 year olds, then there are what we call “children’s clubs” which are for primary school children. And then there are youth centers for children attending secondary school. In addition there is something called “community classroom”, which is offered for those who have dropped out of secondary school in the formal system. They can complete the equivalent of the first year of secondary education in this program and then they should reinsert themselves into the formal school system’s second year. This is a state-run and -funded program, but it is not easy.
Why do you choose to work in education?
In Fe y Alegría we believe that education is the best tool for changing the reality in which every one of us is placed. Education is the weapon of the poor—especially formal education. So we lay our stakes on formal education, and our non-formal education programs are always meant to support formal education. Because of this we are hoping to open secondary schools by approximately 2013 or 2014. The problem is that we cannot count on the financial support of the government, so everything is much more costly.
Can you tell me about the tension between Fe y Alegría and the government?
Today it is an essentially ideological problem. At the level of those who preside over the educational policy there is no problem. We have asked for a meeting with the minister of education, and he was open to it. The problem is at the level of the unions—the professors and the teachers. They believe that the only alternative to only public education is complete privatization, and cannot imagine public education under private management. That is where the discourse is currently halted.
Can you tell me about the relationship between Fe y Alegría and the Catholic University of Uruguay?
Fe y Alegría was born in the university. When the directors of the first educational centers started meeting, the director of the education department of the Catholic University was also present. When it was decided to create a branch of Fe y Alegría in Uruguay, the project had the university president’s support. For the Catholic University, Fe y Alegría is a project of the education department, while at the same time we are an independent association. The cooperation with the university was very beneficial in the early stages, because we were able to count on technical resources, which were already developed in order to work in the centers.
At the same time the university has developed its own program for educational quality, as has the International Federation of Fe y Alegría. We decided the university’s program was more suited for our needs, and were able to use the already developed resources. Currently there are nine centers, which are applying the program. A benefit of the university’s program is that we are able to apply it to non-formal education as well.
Working within and linked to the university has facilitated many things, also for the university. It can use the Fe y Alegría centers in order to apply its work in the poorest sectors of our society, which is not always easy. While the university has always wished to develop a dialogue with these communities, it has not always been possible. So Fe y Alegría has served as an instrument through which the transmission of knowledge is concretized in an effective manner.
What is the work of Fe y Alegría?
The direct work with the children and adolescents is done in the centers. The Fe y Alegría staff assists in the management of the centers and in the training of the teachers. We do work with the youth when we organize programs for all of the centers to take part in together. Currently we are trying to create is a movement of all the youth of the different centers, and this implies more direct work with the youth. Nonetheless the teachers do 90 percent of the work. We work with the teachers, both in their formal and their spiritual and human development.
Can students of the university get involved in Fe y Alegría’s work?
Some students from the university and the Jesuit high school decide to complete a volunteer service in a Fe y Alegría center. For these students we offer training sessions, and make sure the respective center is ready to receive volunteers.
We are working with the university to make Fe y Alegría centers the primary, but not only, location for both university internships and community service. We haven’t achieved this yet, because Fe y Alegría needs to develop more. The president is very willing, but we need to grow and develop and generate spaces, which would be attractive to the students.
What is Fe y Alegría Uruguay’s structure?
The office of Fe y Alegría Uruguay has one director and several departments. The departments include pastoral work, coordination of teacher formation and quality improvement, communications and development, project evaluation, and administration.
It is our job to provide a service to the centers. The directors of the centers are our bosses, and we offer support in the different areas they require. I am only the director of this office. Every center has its own director, and they do not answer to me. In all of Fe y Alegría there is a key to success, which we call “functional autonomy.” Every country is autonomous and every center in every country is autonomous. That is why the network has been able to develop in the way it has. We support and suggest, but we never direct. Sometimes it is a work of seduction- when some are motivated others follow.
What is Fe y Alegría Uruguay'srelationship to the Jesuit community in Uruguay?
There are very few Jesuits here, around 30, and many are no longer active because they are seniors. Therefore when Fe y Alegría started out it was observed from a distance. But the Jesuits witnessed us growing and advancing, and began to consider it with more enthusiasm. Now I have full support from the order.
In Uruguay exclusively lay people run the Fe y Alegría office even though there is a board of directors, which is presided over by a Jesuit who is also the vice-president of the university.