Learn More About the Organization |
ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. Current Projects | Printable Information | Non-Profit Status |
As a student-run organization, ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. focuses on the importance of education. Education is a basic human right. Unfortunately, nearly 120 million children are out of school around the world today. However, there are two UN Millennium Development Goals that relate directly to education, one of them to "ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling". This is the emphasis on education that ACCESS Charity believes is crucial for a successful global future. |
Children in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Honduras, Jamaica and more benefit from contributions to ACCESS. Education is vital for the people of these developing countries because it provides a chance for the youth to achieve a better quality of life. |
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One example of the harsh situations these people face is in the Dominican Republic, where the Sugar Cane industry is one of the only options for employment. Workers earn under $2.00 per day and cut sugar cane for 12-16 hours daily, and are therefore left with little money for food and basic supplies (currently, there are 400 of these migrant labor camps in the Dominican Republic alone, according to Amnesty International). However, this is where ACCESS strives to support these children by improving their education opportunities and helping them to leave the impoverished communities. In these countries, school supplies are difficult to obtain because of extreme poverty and corrupt governments. Although schools may exist, many classrooms are poorly equipped or over-crowded. In some cases children must have a uniform to attend school. Because of these restrictions, and the fact that most families cannot afford school-related costs, many children do not have the opportunity to get an education. By shipping to Honduras, and sending money directly to the Dominican Republic and Columbia for items such as uniforms and classroom supplies, we are also supporting the local economy, and residents who sell such items. |
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| Our Initiatives | |||||||||
As a youth-run organization, ACCESS has a focus on involvement with elementary and secondary schools, as well as post-secondary institutions. The goal of this is to educate today’s students on the issues of the developing world, as well as to inspire them to do their part to make a difference in the world. In addition to raising money for our development projects overseas, ACCESS strives to host events locally to raise awareness the important global poverty and education issues we face today. Current projects be found on the Projects page. Our initiatives include:
We encourage youth to engage in hosting their own ACCESS events and fundraisers within their schools, faith groups, and local communities. Please visit the Get Involved page for details. |
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| History of ACCESS | |||||||||
Since March 2006, ACCESS has raised thousands of dollars to help hundreds of children in schools in the developing world by providing uniforms, shoes, school supplies, and more. Additional funds have been allocated towards needs such as classroom supplies, stipends for teaching assistants, transportation, construction of classrooms, and school renovations. The inspiration behind this organization came from a trip to the developing world in early 2006. Daniel Francavilla traveled to the Dominican Republic as part of a student Exposure Experience program. While on the trip students was exposed to the extreme poverty that the people of this beautiful country face. Visiting the isolated communities and experiencing the children surrounding him asking for simple things such as paper and pens was the trigger of the desire to help these children obtain a better life. ACCESS started off as a collection at a Brampton church, after Daniel presented his trip experiences to the congregation. Because of the generosity of the parishioners, the organization started off strong and continues to grow into what it is today. Building a relationship with the Grey Sisters in the Dominican Republic and establishing contacts in countries such as Columbia, Honduras and Jamaica has enabled Canada’s ACCESS to have a secure connection with people who are directly involved in these communities. Presentations at local schools and events, engaging youth, raising funds, and spreading the word about poverty in the developing world are current ACCESS activities. Today ACCESS continues to take-on new projects, helping the people of these impoverished countries achieve a better quality of life. The organization is registered in Ontario as a Non-Profit Corporation under the legal name "ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc." ACCESS has been featured in The Brampton Guardian, The Catholic Register and on Rogers First Local News, OMNI Television, TheBramptonNews.com, Brampton.com and more.
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| Where We Help and What is Being Done | |||||||||
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| Members of the ACCESS Team | |||||||||
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Left, ACCESS members Morgan Black, Daniel Francavilla, Michael Onabolu, and Kathryn Trnavsky pose with teachers Tracy Intini and Agnes Mazur pose at St. Isaac Jogues Elementary School after announcing the winners of the Spring 2008 Student Contests.
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