empleo

“Yo me desnudo frente a ellos, es decir les cuento cosas muy personales de modo que ellos entiendan y sientan que este es un espacio de mucha armonía y respeto”, cuenta Lorena Méndez, quien desde hace 12 años encabeza el colectivo La Lleca, un proyecto de intervención artística- social que trabaja con presos en cárceles de la Ciudad de México.  A través de talleres como radio, fotografía, poesía o performance La Lleca promueve la confianza, la comunicación respetuosa y el juego entre los internos de los penales buscando crear una relación armoniosa entre ellos y su entorno. Este colectivo se compone de voluntarios de diversas disciplinas como psicólogos, ingenieros, comunicadores o artistas plásticos, es un proyecto independiente en el que cada uno de sus integrantes dona los recursos para las actividades que desarrollan con los presos. El trabajo de este colectivo se suma a otros que se han realizado en diversas prisiones de la región latinoamericana como Mejorando la empleabilidad en el Penal de Cusco, apoyado por el Banco Mundial en Perú, dentro del cual también se busca evitar la reincidencia de la población carcelaria y promover una mejor condición para la reinserción social de los internos al salir de prisión. La Lleca trabaja en sensibilizar a las personas en reclusión, consideran que potenciar el lado humano, mostrar afecto y solidaridad es una vía para poder iniciar un proceso de desarrollo personal, intentan mostrar a los internos que también hay otras formas de interacción como la comunicación no violenta y el diálogo respetuoso. Así por más de una década La Lleca ha trabajado con más de 1500 presos (hombres y mujeres) en las cárceles de la capital mexicana, contando con el apoyo de 75 voluntarios intermitentes desde su creación.   

Organization: International Maize and Wheat Improvement
Country: Mexico
Closing date: 30 Jun 2017

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is a not-for-profit research and training organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org

Under the direct supervision of the General Counsel, the Policy and Compliance Specialist establishes and maintains a comprehensive policy framework, and serves as team leader to accomplish the update and harmonization of existing and new policies into the updated framework. The selected candidate will support the General Counsel with oversight of internal and external resources to ensure that employee conduct and operations are in compliance with the Code of Conduct, policies, procedures, and controls, and with CIMMYT’s contractual and legal obligations. The Policy and Compliance Specialist participates in the establishment and management of, and communication and training on, CIMMYT Compliance Program elements, including the code of conduct, Compliance Committee, and related policies, standards and procedures.

The position is based at CIMMYT’s campus in Texcoco, Mexico, located 45 km northeast of Mexico City, Mexico. The job will involve extensive travel within Mexico at various research stations and some travel in collaborating countries.

Specific duties:

• Assess the adequacy of existing policies and identify gaps and issues that require change.
• Support internal committees and working groups established by management to address policy development and ongoing coordination.
• Propose an effective Policy Framework to incorporate best practices and international standards, taking into account CIMMYT’s evolving needs, and the regulatory framework of CIMMYT, sister organizations, and the United Nations Common system.
• Propose for approval, and provide training to units and departments on, standardization of requirements as to the Policy Framework, including format, content, and definitions applicable to policies with wide applicability within the CIMMYT organization.
• Provide training and direct mentoring to individuals with drafting responsibility, to ensure completion of updated and new policy drafts (and related standards, policies and procedures), recommendations, reports, studies, briefings, presentations, letters, blogs and other relevant outputs for key stakeholders.
• Develop mechanisms to establish initial and continuing awareness of comparative best practices in policy management, regionally and internationally.
• Respond to procedural questions related to policy administration.
• Support the General Counsel in managing the CIMMYT Compliance Program.
• Support the General Counsel in the management of the diverse membership of the CIMMYT Compliance Committee, in its oversight of the Compliance Program elements.
• Propose for approval and implement the standards and procedures for CIMMYT stakeholders to raise a compliance concern or make a report.
• Participate in the concern/report review process, to determine assignment of resources to resolve matters raised.
• Participate in the selection and engagement of third party training courses appropriate for the CIMMYT population.
• Collaborate with CIMMYT leadership to ensure issues raised in compliance reports are addressed with appropriate corrective action and without retaliation.
• Collaborate with CIMMYT Communication to develop communication activities to engage the work force regarding the Policy Framework and the Compliance Program elements.

Required academic qualifications, skills and attitudes:

• First level law degree that enables practice as an attorney, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
• 6 to 10 years in similar positions.
• Communication skills in spoken and written English with fluent Spanish.
• Competencies:
  • Decision making.
  • Problem Solving.
  • Change Management.
  • Collaboration.

The position is for an initial fixed-term for three (3) years, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT’s internationally competitive salary and benefits include housing allowance, car, comprehensive health and life insurance, assistance for children’s education, paid vacation, annual airfare, contribution to a retirement plan, and generous assistance with relocation shipment.

CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.

How to apply:

Candidates must apply here for 16844 Policy and Compliance Specialist, until Thursday February 9th. Screening and follow up of applications will begin on Tuesday January 23th, 2017. Incomplete applications (CV and Cover Letter) will not be taken into consideration. For further information on the selection process, please contact Enrique Martinez, at e.m.sanchez@cgiar.org.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
This position will remain open until filled.

Organization: Clinton Health Access Initiative
Country: Panama
Closing date: 10 Feb 2017

Founded in 2002 by President William J. Clinton, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to strengthening integrated health systems around the world and expanding access to care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and other illnesses. Based on the premise that business oriented strategy can facilitate solutions to global health challenges, CHAI acts as a catalyst to mobilize new resources and optimize the impact of these resources to save lives, via improved organization of commodity markets and more effective local management. By working in association with governments and other NGO partners, CHAI is focused on large scale impact and, to date, CHAI has secured lower pricing agreements for treatment options in more than 70 countries. In addition, CHAI’s teams are working side-by-side with over 30 governments to tackle many of the largest barriers to effective treatment and care.

Malaria is one of the world’s most important causes of illness, death and lost economic productivity. Over the past decade, dramatic increases in donor funding have facilitated scale-up of effective interventions to prevent, diagnosis, and treat malaria. This investment has successfully reduced the burden of malaria in many settings, and some countries have begun planning to eliminate it altogether. Yet these gains are fragile: global funding for malaria remains short of what is needed, last decade’s rapid growth in malaria financing appears to have halted, and resistance to insecticides and drugs threatens to set back efforts. CHAI’s global malaria program provides direct management and technical support to countries around the globe to strengthen their malaria programs and reduce the burden of this preventable, treatable disease. We support governments to scale up effective interventions for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance, with the goals of sustainably reducing the number of malaria-related illnesses and deaths worldwide in the short-term and accelerating progress towards malaria elimination in the long term.

Overview of Role:

CHAI is seeking a highly motivated individual to work as part of CHAI’s Global Malaria Commodity Access Team supporting Program Support Teams and Country Teams to plan and execute effective programs in the Central America region. Over the last year, CHAI has been rapidly engaging with countries across the region and supported them to make initial but meaningful steps towards orienting their national strategic plans and systems towards malaria elimination.

One of CHAI’s primary areas of focus is providing access to critical malaria commodities, including diagnosis and treatment. As countries move closer to elimination, it becomes imperative that all cases are confirmed by parasitological diagnostic test prior to receiving treatment with antimalarial drugs and subsequently reported into the national surveillance system. While many countries in the region have made great progress to making confirmatory diagnosis available, work remains to promote and ensure access at the community level.

To improve access to these and other commodities in our focus countries Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama, the Associate is expected to support the country teams in further developing the elimination strategies tailored to each of the countries and best supporting the teams to execute against these strategies.

The Associate will be part of CHAI’s Global Malaria Team, based in one of the four focus countries in the region and will report directly to the global malaria diagnosis manager as well as the regional malaria manager. Due to multi-country support function of this role, up to 50% travel is expected. The candidate will work closely with CHAI’s other Technical Teams to advance access to prevention and treatment commodities in this region.

The individual will bring a generalist skillset to the team and be willing to take on a variety of tasks ranging from data analytics to guidance for teams on leading workshops with government stakeholders. Examples of the country support include the design and implementation of community health workers expansion or forecasting the multi-year need for malaria commodities; in addition to other commodity access needs (i.e. in prevention) that may arise.

The candidate must be able to work independently to drive implementation and have deep personal commitment to producing results. H/she will bring outstanding analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills, be able to work independently and have deep personal commitment to producing results. CHAI places great value on the resourcefulness, tenacity, patience, humility, and high ethical standards of its staff.

Anticipated travel to Panama, Haiti, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Placement location may change to another Central American country based on leadership approval.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Global Malaria Program Support Teams and CHAI Country Teams in the Central America region.
• Work with CHAI’s Regional Managers to provide coordinated support on access to diagnosis and treatment for malaria
• Assist in the national forecasting and quantification of diagnosis and treatment commodities to support accurate procurement of all malaria-related health products
• Draft presentations and reports for national and global teams on topics related to commodity access
• Coordinate meetings and facilitate knowledge sharing between the government program and partner organizations in the region to ensure effective coordination
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis to support Program Support Teams and CHAI Country Teams
• Support Country Teams in designing strategic plans and concept note development for fundraising efforts
• Support donor reporting as necessary working with Regional Managers and Country Team on coordination and information synthesis

• Explore and assess new areas of interest for the Commodity Access Team.
  Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree minimum with 3+ years of working experience with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership;

• High levels of proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and internet applications;

• Demonstrated excellent analytical, quantitative, and problem solving skills;

• Knowledge of malaria and/or other major global infectious disease problems;

• Ability to work independently in unstructured settings and to adapt to new environments and challenges;

• Enthusiasm for applying research methods to solve global health problems; and,

• Exceptional written and oral communication skills

Advantages:

• Strong spoken and written Spanish and French
• Experience working in management consulting, investment banking, or similar fast-paced, output-oriented environments
• Experience working in health system strengthening and/or healthcare worker engagement
• Preferred to have some knowledge in the following areas: malaria, diagnosis, supply chain, forecasting, training, and quality assurance systems
• Advanced degree
• Experience with infectious disease control programs
• Experience working in a developing country context on multicultural teams

Apply Here

PI96455058

How to apply:

Apply Online

Organization: Tsamota
Country: Portugal
Closing date: 31 Jan 2017

POSITION: Junior Systems Administrator

LOCATION: Lisbon, Portugal

OVERALL DESCRIPTION:

An international NGO is looking for a Junior Systems Administrator. Under direct supervision of Deputy Chief of Operations the primary responsibility of the Junior Systems Administrator will be to ensure and maintain security practices.

The Junior Systems Administrator will be the focal point for IT systems administration and IT security for our team at the HQ and consultants working overseas.

The selected candidate will be employed on a consultancy basis and must be articulate, quick thinking, and able to tackle problems with minimal supervision. The offer is ideal for candidates who want to participate and showcase their skills in a fast-paced, operationally focused NGO environment, simultaneously developing their technical skills as well as their professional portfolio.The post holders will provide direct support to the Deputy Chief of Operations in relation to all of the areas outlined below:

· Installing, upgrading and monitoring of software and hardware

· Maintaining the essentials such as operating systems, business applications, security tools, web-servers, emails, PCs, local and wide area networking

· Set up and maintenance of local intranet as well as the local network infrastructure

· Set up and maintenance of work stations for staff

· Service, repair, and upgrade of the different IT and communication equipment

· Troubleshooting and user support as Help Desk

· Advice on purchase and installation on hardware and software

· Identifying staff IT capacity building needs, then developing and implementing effective training programmes to address the identified skills gaps

· Manage and maintain the server room and all equipment installed

· Maintain organization’s website

· Undertake regular technical test, software upgrades/updates including antivirus

· Liaise with suppliers and support companies in requesting for goods and services and follow-up on the correctness of the payments

· Provide advice and recommendations to develop and IT tools

· Carry out any other duties that may reasonably or exceptionally be required to ensure the smooth operation of the IT infrastructure

Profile

As Junior Systems Administrator, you will need:

· Proven, minimum 2-year experience in the Junior Systems Admin role, Network Administration or a similarly related position.

· First level university degree in Computer Science, Business Information Systems, Web Technology, or equivalent certificate/degree.

· A keen interest to work in IT technology

· Very familiar with Microsoft Office suite, Google Docs, Windows 10 and Apple OSX

Personal qualities:

· Incumbent must be a self-starter and able to set priorities in working schedule and exercise initiative and independent judgment in determining what needs to be done and the best working methods.

· Attention to detail

· Must be a flexible team player, able to work effectively with others

· Possess a proactive ‘can do’ attitude, with the ability to deal with short-notice tasks effectively and efficiently

· Capable of prioritising and managing multiple tasks, maintaining accuracy and attention to detail

· Work well under pressure

· Legally able to live and work in the EU

Languages

· English is the working language; candidates must have excellent oral and written skills.

Application

· Please send your CV and letter of motivation as well as salary expectation for a consultancy contract to recruitmentngopositions@gmail.com

· Only applications in English will be considered

· Only applicants holding a valid working permit for EU countries can be considered for the position

How to apply:

Application

· Please send your CV and letter of motivation as well as salary expectation for a consultancy contract to recruitmentngopositions@gmail.com

· Only applications in English will be considered

· Only applicants holding a valid working permit for EU countries can be considered for the position

Organization: Plan
Country: Spain
Closing date: 31 Jan 2017

The “Director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid programmes” will lead the Programmes Department and will be a member of the Senior Management Team of Plan Spain. Experience in fundraising and in-depth knowledge of child-rights programming and multilateral donors (UE, UN…) are a must. The successful candidate will be an English native speaker (preferably) or bilingual. French is also desirable. Results orientation, Negotiation and communication skills are also required. The position will be based in Madrid – with frequent travels >50%, sometimes with short notice. Applicants should have a valid work permit at the time of applying to enable them to work in Spain.

Overview

Plan is an international child centred community development organization working in 70 countries, 51 of which are developing countries. With a focus on long term sustainable development, Plan works in a participative way with children and families across a range of programmes including education, health, household economic security, protection and water/sanitation. Plan also engages in humanitarian work. Advocacy cuts across all programmes.

General Description of the Role

The Programme Department is looking to grow substantially over the next five years with a targeted income of €4 million this year, with diverse institutional donor base. The Director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid programmes, in conjunction with the National Director, will be responsible for establishing a new strategic plan for Plan Spain, that sets out its ambition around programme quality, resource mobilisation, cost efficiencies, effectiveness, campaigns and profiling. Children are at the heart of Plan’s work, and this position will be responsible for ensuring that the principles and values of Plan, its child centred community development approach and commitment to programme quality are strengthened both in Plan Spain and across the Plan family.

The Director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid programmes will be a key influencer in international programme strategy, global account management policy and other developments at an international level. The ability to network internationally is important.

Managing a team of 5 currently across development programmes, disaster management, energy, development education, the Director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid programmes will have the following key objectives:

1. To diversify and grow income mainly trough institutional donors;

2. To support the delivery of high quality, child centred development and humanitarian programmes;

3. To enhance critical understanding and commitment towards the realisation of children’s’ rights in developing countries among Spain, government officials, donors and civil society organisations;

4. To ensure Plan Spain’s Programme team has the relevant knowledge management systems and skill-sets to work effectively, to support the implementation of quality programmes, and to influence policy and advocacy;

5. To influence the internal processes of Plan globally through various networks and groups so they reflect best practices of aid effectiveness;

6. To promote a culture of managing for results and outcome monitoring so that the real change in children’s lives are captured, promoted, shared and used in learning.

7. Strengthen relationships with current donors and ensure that ongoing projects are completed with the highest quality standards, and that the donor’s information requirements are meet.

Main Responsibilities

1. Contribute to the fulfilment of Plan Spain’s strategy through active participation in the senior management team and the effective delivery of the Programme team’s objectives

2. Ensure an economically viable Programme function through full cost recovery, sustainable co-financing and a strong grants pipeline.

3. Build relationships with programme countries and engage in programme country strategic planning to ensure that programme priorities and funding options are matched and maximised

4. Nurture and manage donor relations, ensuring all communication, both informal and formal, is of the highest standard

5. Build relations with other National Offices for joint programming, harmonised approaches, match funding, donor positioning, etc.

6. Engage with the Board to ensure the Board is fully aware of risks, governance concerns and programme direction

7. Work with the National Director and Finance and Admin Director to prepare, monitor and control budgets for all programme activity overseas and in Spain.

8. Endeavour to have real time project information for all projects

9. Ensure grant management and programme quality are of the highest standard and in line with donor expectations and best practice

10. Represent Plan at relevant fora, conferences, through media, etc. to promote issues around child rights and to build the organisation’s profile

11. Engage with Plan international groups, Regional Offices, International HQ, etc. on key issues relevant to Plan Spain and contribute to Plan’s global One Plan One Goal strategy.

12. Provide leadership and management to the team

Attributes for the role

^ü Minimum of seven years relevant work experience in both HQ and programme locations, with at least three in a management position. Sound understanding of integrated development issues and critical analysis of child poverty

^ü In-depth knowledge of child-rights programming

^ü Knowledge of development issues, trends, challenges and opportunities and implications for community development

• Experience of strategic planning processes

• Strong understanding of aid effectiveness agenda, results based management and programme outcome monitoring

• Experience in networking, relationship management and resource mobilisation, in particular with institutional donors. Experience in raising funds.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to build distance relationships

• Strong team building and motivational skills

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including presentation and public speaking

• Native English speaker (or bilingual) essential with French an advantage

• Willingness to travel, especially to country programmes, on regular occasions (>50%) and sometimes with short notice

• Sound judgement and decision-making in complex situations.

How to apply:

Applicants should have a valid work permit at the time of applying to enable them to work in Spain.

Please send application and cover letter to the following email address: recruiting@plan-international.org, indicating the reference (PR0-DIR-17) in the subject message.

Organization: Plan
Country: Spain
Closing date: 31 Jan 2017

The “Project Manager DRM” will be a member of the Department of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Programs in Plan International Spain.

The post holder will play a key role in the following priorities: Fundraising and resource mobilization at local level and Assistance in emergencies due to natural disasters, armed conflict or any other humanitarian crisis.

OVERVIEW

Plan is an international child centered community development organization working in 69 countries, 50 of which are developing countries. With a focus on long term sustainable development, Plan works in a participative way with children and families across a range of programs including education, health, household economic security, protection and water/sanitation. Plan also engages in humanitarian work. Advocacy cuts across all programs.

Established in 2001, Plan Spain is a dynamic organization that supports Plan’s work worldwide, with a particular focus on Child protection. Funding is received from a variety of sources including child sponsorship, Spanish Government and Regional Governments and also multilateral donors (ECHO,UE, UN) .

In addition, Plan Spain strives to raise awareness of development issues through development education, advocacy, the media and events.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. To identify needs and new project opportunities in line with the strategy.

2. Lead the process of identifying and prioritizing funding opportunities

3. Effective resources mobilization in the specific areas of operation

4. Effectively manage funding relationships with major institutional donors that support funding objectives.

5. To cooperate and liaise with Plan International National Offices and Country Offices partners and, where applicable, with external stakeholders at the appropriate levels

6. To manage projects in accordance with approved plans, regulations and policies

7. To ensure full compliance with donor requirements in reporting (narrative and financial)

8. To produce project documents following specific formats (project synopsis/concept paper, result based project plan, full project proposal, project budget, project agreement with partner, regular reports)

9. To ensure effective coordination with sectors and different projects

10. To support building capacities with our implementing partner in order to improve capacities to respond and to work in joint projects respecting the special role of volunteers

11. The position will be based in Madrid with possible long-term assignments (3-4 months) with the following responsibilities when in mission:

12. Preparation of identification process and needs assessment.

13. Information analysis

14. Coordination with the rest of the members of the emergency pool and all other actors in the field intervening in

15. Coordination and technical quality of the projects of the mission.

16. To analyse the national and regional strategies and context

17. To provide technical support to the Head of Mission in the fundraising and partnership activities related to Child Protection.

18. To provide technical support to the Head of Mission (HoM) in the activities related to the technical areas and monitoring of the mission.

19. To ensure the quality and appropriateness of the definition and implementation of a possible emergency intervention.

PROFILE:

• University Degree (Master appreciated)

• 5 years of working experience in technical cooperation in international institutions and/or NGOs. Proved experience in raising funds mainly with multilateral donors (ECHO will be valuable).

• Proven track record in Child Protection and working with ECHO (other donors desirable)

• Knowledge in Project Cycle Management tools & knowledge in donors´ processes.

• Solid programmatic, financial and organizational planning skills.

COMPETENCIES ASSOCIATED TO THE POSITION*:*

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, results orientation and intercultural sensitivity, including managing expectations of different stakeholders in a balanced and diplomatic manner

• Proven abilities in decision making and problem solving- to foresee various options and objectively assess viability to these options

• Self-supporting in computing (MS-Windows, spreadsheet- and word-processing

• Ability to work independently and as a team member .Mastering English-Spanish / French-Spanish / English-French.

How to apply:

Applicants should have a valid work permit at the time of applying to enable them to work in Spain.

The candidates must send application and cover letter to recruiting@plan-international.org with the reference PRO-PM-17

Más de 90 mil alumnos y docentes de educación inicial y primaria se verán beneficiados por un préstamo por US$40 millones aprobado por el Directorio Ejecutivo del Banco Mundial (BM). Parte de los desembolsos del préstamo dependerán del logro de metas específicas, representando así el primer préstamo que incorpora un enfoque basado en resultados para el sector de educación en el Uruguay.  El proyecto beneficiará en forma directa a 86 mil estudiantes y 4 mil maestros, inspectores y directores de Escuelas de Tiempo Completo (ETC), y favorecerá en forma indirecta a 350 mil estudiantes y maestros del sistema de educación inicial y primaria mediante la implementación de nuevos y mejorados mecanismos de monitoreo y evaluación. “Uruguay ha hecho importantes esfuerzos para mejorar el acceso y la calidad de la educación de los niños y niñas del país, pero aún persisten importantes desafíos. A través de este nuevo proyecto, el Gobierno de Uruguay ha decidido continuar enfrentando las dificultades en materia de tasas de repetición, los cuellos de botella críticos en el proceso de transición entre primaria y secundaria, el acceso incompleto a la educación temprana, así como la necesidad de evaluación adecuada, afirmó Danilo Astori, Ministro de Economía y Finanzas de Uruguay. El Proyecto Mejora de la calidad de la educación inicial y primaria en Uruguay continuará apoyando la expansión del modelo de Escuelas de Tiempo Completo (ETC), al tiempo que apuntará a mejorar las prácticas de enseñanza y la evaluación en la educación inicial y primaria. Asimismo, financiará proyectos pilotos orientados a fortalecer la transición entre primaria y secundaria. El modelo de Escuelas de Tiempo Completo inició en Uruguay a mediados de la década de 1990, con el apoyo del Banco Mundial. Su valor agregado proviene principalmente de una extensión del número de horas de clase (de 4 a 7,5), que da tiempo para consolidar lo aprendido, las habilidades no cognitivas, y apoyar a los estudiantes en riesgo de fracaso escolar. Además, este modelo pedagógico apoya una nutrición adecuada (especialmente para los más vulnerables) y permite que los padres, y especialmente las madres, trabajen. Aproximadamente la mitad de los estudiantes que asisten a Escuelas de Tiempo Completo pertenece al 40 por ciento de menores ingresos de la población.  “Las habilidades de los escolares uruguayos – lo que aprenden y saben – determinará el futuro del país. Este proyecto adopta un enfoque integrador en la preparación de los estudiantes, especialmente a los más vulnerables, para la secundaria”, aseguró Jesko Hentschel, Director del Banco Mundial para Argentina, Paraguay y Uruguay. “Apoyamos la expansión del modelo de escuelas de tiempo completo de Uruguay, pero el enfoque va mucho más allá, empezando por los más pequeños, capacitando a los maestros y apoyando las transiciones escolares”, agregó. El proyecto se enfocará en: Educación inicial. Contribuirá a que más niños de tres años se incorporen al sistema educativo y reciban educación de calidad. Se prevé la construcción de nuevas aulas y la creación del sistema de formación en servicio para docentes de educación inicial. Contempla también la consolidación del Sistema de evaluación inicial temprana, un mecanismo de retroalimentación para que los maestros comprendan el progreso y las etapas de desarrollo de sus estudiantes y cuenten con información que les permita actuar para que los alumnos alcancen el nivel de desarrollo que corresponde a su edad. Educación primaria. Financiará la expansión de Escuelas de Tiempo Completo, así como mejoras en las edificaciones y fortalecimiento de la capacidad docente, con especial énfasis en atender a aquellos estudiantes que están rezagados. En materia de infraestructura, se prevé la construcción, rehabilitación y ampliación de aproximadamente 20 ETC, además del mantenimiento de construcciones ya existentes. Se capacitará a supervisores, directores de escuelas y maestros de educación primaria en ETC para fortalecer el desarrollo de competencias cognitivas y las habilidades socioemocionales de los estudiantes rezagados. Transición primaria – secundaria: Se brindará apoyo a los estudiantes en riesgo durante su transición a la educación secundaria. Específicamente, se brindará entrenamiento a los docentes de sexto grado de ETC en aquellas habilidades necesarias para el éxito de los estudiantes en la educación secundaria tales como organización y técnicas de estudio y fortalecimiento de conocimientos clave como escritura y lectura. Asimismo, el proyecto introducirá un conjunto de alianzas piloto entre colegios de Primaria y Secundaria, con el objetivo de fortalecer la transición de los estudiantes entre dichos niveles. Monitoreo y evaluación.  El proyecto procurará contribuir a la mejora de la capacidad de monitoreo y evaluación del sistema educativo. Entre las acciones previstas se cuenta la creación de un Sistema de Alerta Temprana que permitirá la detección oportuna de los estudiantes en riesgo y la focalización de los programas específicos de prevención del abandono. El préstamo del Banco Mundial de US$ 40 millones es de margen variable, y el plazo de pago es de 20.5 años, con un período de gracia de 15 años.  — Para conocer el trabajo del Banco Mundial en Uruguay visite: www.bancomundial.org/uy   Visítenos en Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bancomundial Manténgase informado via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BancoMundialLAC Nuestro canal de YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BancoMundialLAC

América Latina no es ajena a los conflictos sociales, si bien hubo gran crecimiento económico, reducción de pobreza y de inequidad en la década pasada. Es por ello que conocer de antemano las necesidades y aspiraciones de los sectores más vulnerables son clave para reducir potenciales crisis y mejorar la calidad de vida de aquellos con menores ingresos. En este sentido, el Perú se ha colocado a la vanguardia y aprobó una ley de alcance nacional que regula el proceso de consulta previa con poblaciones indígenas. Sus primeros resultados se han recopilado en el reporte ¨La Consulta Previa en el Perú: Aprendizajes y desafíos¨. German Freire, especialista en Desarrollo Social del Banco Mundial, explica cómo funciona el proceso de la consulta previa, por qué es importante tanto en el Perú como en la región y qué futuro le espera a las comunidades indígenas y rurales de América Latina: Pregunta: ¿Qué es la consulta previa y cuando se realiza? Repuesta: La consulta previa es un derecho internacionalmente reconocido, enmarcado en el convenio 169 de la OIT y ratificado por 15 países latinoamericanos, incluido el Perú, país donde ha sido convertida en una ley desde 2011. Pero más allá de ser un derecho, es una herramienta de diálogo que permite conciliar los intereses de las poblaciones mayoritarias con los de la población indígena. La consulta previa es un mecanismo de inclusión y un espacio para darle voz y voto a los pueblos indígenas en los programas, proyectos, planes y leyes que potencialmente pueden afectar sus intereses, sus culturas o sus modos de vida. La consulta previa se lleva a cabo cuando hay una potencial afectación de los derechos colectivos de los pueblos indígenas. La ley peruana no incluye en este proceso la prestación de servicios públicos, como agua y saneamiento o electricidad, por ejemplo, a menos que afecten los derechos colectivos de los pueblos indígenas. En cambio, cuando por ejemplo se declara en el Amazonas un parque nacional, y este parque se sobrepone al territorio tradicional de una población indígena, ahí existe una afectación del derecho colectivo, pues la regulación podría limitar su acceso a recursos que han utilizado durante siglos y de los que dependen para subsistir. Esto se convierte en materia de consulta previa. Lo mismo sucede al desarrollar un proyecto de hidrovías, una “carretera” fluvial, que atraviesa un territorio indígena. La consulta previa se complementa con otros mecanismos de participación ciudadana, sensibles a las diferencias culturales y las cosmovisiones de los pueblos indígenas. P: ¿Por qué es importante la consulta previa? R: La consulta previa es erróneamente vista por algunos sectores públicos y privados como un requisito que no agrega valor a sus actividades. A su entender es un proceso largo y costoso, por lo que hace más lento el desarrollo de proyectos y, ultimadamente, desincentivan la inversión. Sin embargo, la experiencia nos ha demostrado que en territorios indígenas el desarrollo ¨convencional¨ no siempre tiene los efectos esperados, y los indígenas no se benefician tanto como el resto de la población o son adversamente impactados por proyectos que en teoría debían beneficiarlos. Esto explica en parte la persistencia de brechas, por ejemplo. Regionalmente los indígenas son casi tres veces más propensos a ser pobres. La consulta previa es un espacio de participación que toma en cuenta a los pueblos indígenas en el diseño de proyectos, planes o leyes que podrían afectarlos.Permite a las comunidades transmitir sus propias visiones de lo que es el desarrollo, la pobreza y el bienestar. La inclusión de estas voces tiene muchos beneficios, no solo para ellos. Si bien la consulta no es un mecanismo de resolución de conflictos, el desarrollar un proyecto que es sensible a las visiones y expectativas locales, culturalmente pertinente, donde la población indígena tiene un espacio para expresarse en sus términos, tiene muchas menos probabilidades de generar un conflicto social. Si se analizan las razones para la mayor parte de los conflictos sociales en el Perú, sea que estén relacionados con proyectos mineros o de otro tipo, la población local rara vez se opone a los proyectos en sí, sino que se opone a los términos de su inclusión, o a su exclusión de los beneficios. Lo que la mayor parte de las comunidades involucradas en un conflicto demandan es diálogo. Encarar el dialogo tiene un costo para las empresas y para el Estado, no hay duda, pero hoy sabemos que el costo de no realizar consultas es mucho mayor, principalmente en el mediano plazo, cuando aparecen conflictos o desacuerdos que paralizan obras y planes de desarrollo. P: ¿Por qué el Perú es un referente para América Latina en el tema de la consulta previa? R: Actualmente, en toda América Latina existe una gran legislación pro indígena y en prácticamente todos los países se realizan consultas. Perú, sin embargo, fue el primer país en promover una ley de alcance nacional y en reglamentar el derecho a la consulta previa. Además, ha venido innovando en la definición práctica del derecho a la consulta, así como en las cuestiones operativas de cómo, qué, dónde, cuándo y a quién se debe consultar una medida determinada. Ninguna de esas preguntas tiene una sola respuesta, pero el Perú ha estado dando muestras de estrategias concretas y bien operativas. El país plantea la consulta previa de forma estructurada. Esto se ve reflejado en los protocolos, materiales de apoyo y la literatura generada por el Ministerio de Cultura sobre los procesos de la consulta previa, así como la Base de Datos sobre Pueblos Indígenas del Ministerio de Cultura, que es una de las más completas que yo haya visto en la región. También han creado un registro nacional de traductores y facilitadores en temas de consulta, que es una herramienta clave tanto para el estado peruano como para las empresas privadas, que ya hacen uso de este registro y de los servicios del personal que ha venido formando el Ministerio. Además, acaban de lanzar un sistema de monitoreo de las consultas, clave para garantizar la transparencia y el cumplimiento de los acuerdos. Estas herramientas no existen en otros países de la región. P: ¿Cuántos procesos se han realizado en el Perú y cuál es un ejemplo de los acuerdos tomados en las consultas previas? R: En el momento en que realizamos el estudio junto con el Ministerio de Cultura eran 24, pero ahora son varios más. Aunque no parece un número grande, ha tomado mucho esfuerzo llegar ahí, debido principalmente a la especulación que siguió a la aprobación de la ley y su reglamento. Las voces que se oponían a la implementación de la ley argumentaban que al consultar a los pueblos indígenas se iban a generar más conflictos sociales, aletargar los proyectos consultados y paralizar la inversión. La principal lección que dejan estos primeros procesos de consulta es que todos esos temores eran infundados. Los 24 procesos realizados hasta principios del 2016 llegaron, en su totalidad, a acuerdos, y se dieron en plazos razonables. Por ejemplo, algunos pueblos indígenas pidieron participar en el diseño de los términos de referencia de los estudios de impacto ambiental, pues argumentaban que, si ellos no eran involucrados desde ese momento, las preguntas que eran importantes para ellos no iban a ser incluidas en los estudios, por lo que luego no tienen información ni datos clave para estructurar sus argumentos. El problema es que si se hace una interpretación demasiado inflexible de la legislación, luego no tendrían participación en la discusión de los resultados. El argumento que nosotros hacemos es que la consulta previa tiene que ser vista como parte de un diálogo mas amplio y sostenido con los pueblos indígenas, no como un momento en el tiempo o como un requisito administrativo más. Hay que recordar que en el Perú los acuerdos de la consulta previa son de cumplimiento obligatorio. Este no es un dato menor, porque otras instancias de diálogo o de resolución de conflicto, como las mesas de diálogo, no tienen este carácter. De ahí que la mayor parte de los conflictos sociales del Perú tienen otro conflicto como antecedente, pues muchas veces se olvidan los acuerdos luego de resuelta la crisis. P: ¿Cómo beneficia la consulta previa el futuro de los indígenas? R: La razón por la cual la consulta previa existe es porque los mecanismos de participación ciudadana convencionales le suelen fallar al sector indígena de la población. Personalmente, considero que Latinoamérica deber aspirar a integrar los mecanismos de diálogo intercultural que están en la consulta previa en las actividades de los estados, y con esto crear estados verdaderamente inclusivos y respetuosos de la identidad y la dignidad de los pueblos indígenas. El Ministerio de Cultura del Perú ha propuesto que la consulta previa no debe sustituir otros mecanismos de participación ciudadana que ya existen, sino complementarlos. El reto es integrar los resultados de estos procesos de consulta en los planes de autodesarrollo de los pueblos consultados, para que estos procesos no se conviertan en trámites puntuales para lograr aprobar una ley o un proyecto, sino que sean una ventana real para la inclusión social. El desarrollo de todas las regiones del país debe continuar en ese camino de diálogo intercultural para que los pueblos indígenas puedan participar y puedan ser escuchados siempre.

Although Latin America has experienced strong economic growth and a reduction in poverty and inequality over the past decade, it is no stranger to social conflicts. Consequently, it is necessary to become familiar with the needs and aspirations of the most vulnerable sectors in advance to reduce potential crises and improve the quality of life of lower-income populations. To this end, Peru has taken the initiative of adopting a national law that regulates the process of prior consultation with indigenous populations. The first results of this law have been compiled in the report ¨Prior Consultation in Peru: Lessons and Challenges" (Spanish).  German Freire, a social development expert at the World Bank, explains how the prior consultation process works, why it is important for Peru and the region and what future indigenous and rural communities of Latin America can expect: Question: What is prior consultation and when does it take place?  Answer: Prior consultation is an internationally recognized right established in ILO Convention 169 and ratified by 15 Latin American countries, including Peru, where it has been a law since 2011. But more than a law, it is a dialogue tool that helps conciliate the interests of majority populations with those of the indigenous population. Prior consultation is an inclusion mechanism and a channel for giving a voice and vote to indigenous peoples with respect to the programs, projects, plans and laws that potentially affect their interests, cultures or lifestyles. Prior consultation is implemented when the collective rights of indigenous peoples are potentially affected. In Peruvian law, this process does not include the delivery of public services, such as water and sanitation or electricity, for example, unless they affect their collective rights. But, for example, when a law is proposed to establish a national park in Amazonas Region and that park overlaps traditional indigenous lands, collective rights are affected since the regulation could limit that population’s access to resources it has used for centuries and that it depends on for survival. This becomes a topic for prior consultation. This also occurs when a proposed waterway, or river “highway” project would cross through indigenous lands. Other mechanisms of citizen participation that are sensitive to the cultural differences and world views of indigenous peoples complement prior consultation processes. Q: Why is prior consultation important? A: Some public and private sectors mistakenly view prior consultation as a requirement that does not add value to their activities. They perceive it as a long, costly process that slows project development and ultimately discourages investment. However, experience has shown that on indigenous lands, “conventional development” does not always have the desired impact, and indigenous peoples may not benefit as much as the rest of the population or are adversely affected by projects that in theory should benefit them. This partly explains the persistence of gaps, for example. Indigenous peoples in the region are three times more likely to be poor than the rest of the population. Although consultation is not a mechanism for resolving conflicts, developing a project that is culturally pertinent and sensitive to local visions and expectations, where indigenous peoples have an opportunity to speak for themselves, is much less likely to create social conflict. If the reasons behind most social conflicts in Peru are analyzed, it becomes clear that regardless of whether they are related to mining projects or other activities, the local population rarely opposes the projects themselves, but rather the terms of their inclusion, or their exclusion from the benefits. Dialogue is what most communities involved in a conflict demand. Engaging in dialogue undoubtedly comes at a cost for companies and the government, but today we know that the cost of not implementing prior consultation is much greater, especially in the medium term, when conflicts or disagreements arise that delay works and development plans. Q: How did Peru become a reference for prior consultation in Latin America? A: Currently, there is considerable pro-indigenous legislation throughout Latin America and consultations are carried out in practically all the countries. However, Peru was the first country to promote a national law and to regulate the right to prior consultation. It has also been innovating the practical definition of the right to consultation, as well as the operational questions of how, what, where, when and who should be consulted about a specific measure. None of those questions has a single answer, but Peru has developed some concrete, functional strategies. The country proposes a structured form of prior consultation. This is reflected in the protocols, support materials and literature produced by the Ministry of Culture on prior consultation processes. These materials include the Ministry’s Database on Indigenous Peoples , one of the most complete I’ve seen in the region. They’ve also created a national registry of translators and facilitators on consultation issues, a key tool for both for the Peruvian government and private firms, since they use this registry and the services of the personnel that the Ministry is training. Additionally, they have just launched a consultation monitoring system, which is crucial for guaranteeing transparency and compliance with agreements.  These tools do not exist in other countries of the region. Q: How many prior consultations have taken place in Peru and what is an example of the agreements made during these processes? A: There were 24 when we carried out the study with the Ministry of Culture, but there are now several more. Although that doesn’t seem like a lot, it took considerable effort to get there, mainly because of the speculation following the passage of the law and its regulations. Critics of the law argued that consulting indigenous people would lead to more social conflicts, delay the projects consulted and halt investment. The main lesson of these initial consultation processes is that those fears were unfounded. The 24 processes completed until early 2016 all resulted in agreements that were achieved within a reasonable period. For example, some indigenous peoples asked to participate in the design of the terms of reference of the environmental impact studies since they felt that if they were not involved beginning in that phase, the questions that were important to them would not be included in the studies and they would not have the key information or data to structure their arguments. The problem is that an inflexible interpretation of the law would impede them from participating in the discussion of the results. We believe that prior consultation should be viewed as part of a broader, ongoing dialogue with indigenous peoples, not just as a moment in time or another administrative requirement. In Peru, prior consultation agreements are legally binding. This is no minor detail because other dialogue or conflict resolution mechanisms, such as dialogue roundtables, are not binding. Consequently, most of the social conflicts in Peru stem from a previous conflict since agreements are frequently forgotten once the crisis is resolved. Q: How does prior consultation benefit the future of indigenous peoples? A: The reason prior consultation exists is because conventional citizen participation mechanisms tend to fail the indigenous sector of the population. Personally, I think that Latin America should strive to integrate the intercultural dialogue mechanisms that are part of the prior consultation process into government activities to create truly inclusive states that respect the identity and dignity of indigenous peoples. Peru’s Ministry of Culture has stated that prior consultation should complement rather than replace other mechanisms of citizen participation. The challenge is to integrate the results of these consultation processes into the self-development plans of the peoples consulted so that those processes will not become one-time procedures to adopt a law or project. Instead, they should become a real window for social inclusion. The development of all regions of the country should continue down this path of intercultural dialogue so that indigenous peoples can participate and can always be heard.

Para la mayoría de las mujeres, trabajar y cuidar niños son tareas difíciles de compatibilizar. Sin embargo, lo hacen funcionar. Malabares logísticos; abuelos, tíos, amigos y vecinos que dan una mano, así como dinero invertido en personal de cuidado son parte del combo de una madre trabajadora. Y si algo falla, muchas se plantean la posibilidad -o la necesidad- de renunciar o reducir horas de trabajo. Actualmente, en América Latina y el Caribe hay casi 46 millones de mujeres de 25 años de edad o más con algún nivel de estudios terminado pero que están fuera del mercado laboral. Si bien la brecha de participación en el mercado laboral está presente durante todo el ciclo de vida y es superior a los 30 puntos porcentuales, se amplía durante los años fértiles (entre 24 y 45 años). Este grupo, que concentra la proporción más grande del capital humano disponible y no aprovechado en el trabajo remunerado, también es el que tiene la mayor parte de madres con niños pequeños. Esta brecha no tiene que ver con una cuestión educativa. A pesar de las similitudes en las cifras de niños y niñas que logran completar su educación – especialmente en la escuela primaria -, se estima que hay un 7% más de mujeres en escuelas secundarias y un 30% en niveles terciarios, de acuerdo al Banco Mundial. Sin embargo, los altos niveles de acceso a la educación de las mujeres no se traducen en el ámbito laboral. Las mujeres tienen los empleos más vulnerables: a tiempo parcial o por cuenta propia, que usualmente responden a la necesidad de flexibilidad, ya que la mayoría tiene una demanda desproporcionada del cuidado de niños y ancianos. De acuerdo al sitio de investigación periodística Chequeado, el ingreso masivo de las mujeres en el mercado laboral no fue acompañado con una división más equitativa de las tareas dentro de los hogares (lo que se conoce como la “revolución estancada”). Esta situación actualmente recae en los hombros de las mujeres, quienes en países como Argentina, dedican casi el doble de tiempo que los hombres a las tareas no remuneradas de cuidado. Justamente, la investigación “Educación que rinde. Mujeres, trabajo y cuidado infantil en América Latina y el Caribe” realizada por el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo y publicada en la serie del Banco Mundial, “Latin American Development Forum Series”, establece una luz al final del túnel: más y mejores servicios de guardería brindan una opción fundamental de política pública para incrementar la oferta de mano de obra femenina. Aproximadamente un 8% de niños entre 0 y 3 años tiene acceso y usa servicios formales de cuidado; al mismo tiempo se estima que en la región un 5% de los hogares reportan que los niños se quedan solos en casa, al cuidado de otro menor, o se los llevan las mamás al trabajo. Esa es la realidad en la que tienen que concebirse estos programas y que nos ha motivado a estudiar cómo se puede llegar al mayor número asegurando los estándares de calidad necesarios,explican las autoras Mercedes Mateo Diaz, especialista en Educación del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, y Lourdes Rodríguez Chamussy, economista de la práctica de pobreza y equidad del Banco Mundial. Guarderías como política pública El estudio recolecta numerosas experiencias en países como Suecia, Canadá, Dinamarca y Estados Unidos que prueban que las guarderías subsidiadas por el estado ayudan a incrementar la participación femenina en el trabajo y al mismo tiempo, esa inversión vuelve con creces debido al aumento de la productividad, como consecuencia de la incorporación a tiempo completo de la mujer al entorno laboral. Las experiencias que existen en América Latina muestran efectos positivos de la participación laboral de la mujer en la economía. Las mujeres tienen entre 2 y 22% más oportunidades de estar empleadas si cuentan con guarderías subsidiadas por el estado, además de que pueden acceder a mejores empleos. La evidencia que se sintetiza en este estudio revela que en Argentina, por ejemplo, si un niño pequeño va a preescolar, su madre trabaja casi ocho horas más por semana. En México, el efecto de las guarderías subsidiadas incrementó en seis horas por semana la dedicación de las mamás en el trabajo. En Chile, un estudio encontró que guarderías con ubicaciones cercanas al trabajo y horarios compatibles con la jornada laboral aumentan la participación de las mujeres. Sin embargo, el estudio de Díaz y Rodríguez hace algunas salvedades. “La hipótesis central es que el éxito de las políticas de cuidado infantil depende de sus niveles de uso, y esto a su vez depende de cómo se integren en los programas ofertados los aspectos de calidad y conveniencia” explica una de las autoras. “Por muy bueno que sea un programa educativo no podrá contribuir a cerrar las brechas existentes si los niños no están inscriptos o no asisten a los centros porque están muy lejos, cuestan muy caros, o los horarios no son compatibles con la jornada laboral de la madre”concluye. Inversión que rinde Pero este no solo es un tema de igualdad de género, también es una cuestión económica. Las guarderías aumentan la participación laboral femenina. Y la entrada de la mujer al trabajo puede aumentar en un 7%, en promedio, el PIB de la región. Por otro lado, el estudio establece que el aumento de la participación y los ingresos económicos de las mujeres puede reducir la pobreza actual y futura elevando los niveles de consumo y de ahorro. Las autoras sostienen que los países de la región están frente a una oportunidad única de aprovechar su estructura demográfica y cosechar las inversiones en educación de las últimas décadas para capitalizar el potencial de su fuerza laboral.

More than 90 thousand preschool and primary school students and teachers in Uruguay will benefit from a US $40 million loan approved by the World Bank (WB) Board of Executive Directors. Parts of the loan’s disbursements will depend on the achievement of specific goals, thus becoming the first loan incorporating a results-based approach for the Uruguayan education sector. The project will directly benefit 86,000 students and 4,000 teachers, inspectors and directors of Full Time Schools (FTSs), while indirectly benefiting 350 thousand students and teachers in the preschool and primary school education system through the implementation of new and improved monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. “Uruguay has made considerable efforts to improve the access to and quality of education among the country’s children, but significant challenges still remain. Through this new project, the Government of Uruguay has decided to continue to address repetition rates, bottlenecks in the transition from primary to secondary school, insufficient access to early education, as well as the need for adequate evaluation,” said Danilo Astori, Minister of Economy and Finance of Uruguay. The Improving the Quality of Preschool and Primary School Education Project will support the expansion of the Full Time School (FTS) model, while seeking to improve teaching and evaluation practices in preschool and primary school education. Additionally, it will finance pilot projects geared toward strengthening the primary to secondary school transition. The FTS model was started in Uruguay in the mid-1990s with support from the World Bank. The longer classroom hours – up from 4 to 7.5 hours – provide increased support for at-risk students; time to reinforce non-cognitive skills and revisit what has been learned. Moreover, this school model supports adequate nutrition for the most vulnerable students and allows parents, especially mothers, to work. Approximately half of the students attending FTSs belong to the poorest 40 percent of the population. “The abilities of Uruguayan students —what they learn and understand— will determine the future of this country. The project adopts an integrative approach to prepare students, especially the most vulnerable ones, for secondary education,” said Jesko Hentschel, World Bank Director for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. “We support the expansion of the full time school model in Uruguay, but this project goes even further, starting with the youngest, training the teachers and supporting school transitions,” he added. Details of the project: Early Childhood Education. The project will enable more three-year-olds to enter the education system and receive quality education. New classrooms will be constructed, and new teacher training systems created. The project will also strengthen the Early Education Evaluation System, a feedback mechanism for teachers to understand the progress and development stages of their students, information that will allow teachers to empower students to reach the level of development that corresponds with their age. Primary Education. The project will finance the expansion of FTSs, improving buildings and strengthening teacher capacities, with a strong emphasis on assisting underperforming students. The project aims to construct, overhaul and expand the buildings of the approximately 20 full time schools, as well as maintaining existing facilities. Supervisors, school directors and preschool teachers will be trained to strengthen cognitive abilities and socio-emotional skills of underperforming students. Primary to Secondary School Transition. At-risk students will be supported in their transition from primary to secondary schools. The project will provide training for sixth-grade students in skills needed for their success in secondary education, which include organizational skills and study techniques, as well as reading and writing skills. Additionally, the project will introduce a set of pilot partnerships between primary and secondary schools, aimed at strengthening student transitions between the two.   Monitoring and Evaluation. The project seeks to improve the education system’s monitoring and evaluation capacities, by creating, amongst others, an Early Warning System that allows for the timely identification of at-risk students and the targeting of specific dropout prevention programs. The US$40 million World Bank loan has a variable margin, a 20.5-year maturity period and a 15-year grace period. — Learn more about the work of the World Bank in Uruguay: http://www.worldbank.org/uy Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbank Be updated via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BancoMundialLAC For our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/BancoMundialLAC

Ten percent of Latin Americans today live with a chronic illness. One which can have devastating effects on their health and their pocket: without adequate treatment it can result in blindness, amputations, stroke, heart attacks and even death. We’re talking about diabetes, whose incidence rates are rising around the world, according to the WHO. And while there are multiple reasons behind the increase, the rise in type 2 diabetes, the most common variant, is closely related to growing number of people who are overweight, obese or sedentary. Today in Latin America, only Haiti has an average adult Body Mass Index of less than 25 (the upper limit of the healthy weight range), but for many other countries, especially in the Caribbean, the average BMI is between 28 and 29, just below the obesity range. And in context, it could prove to be a ticking time-bomb for the region’s future development.   Aside from the cost of treatment, which is a significant burden for national health services, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases impact heavily on productivity, in particular with respect to lost or reduced work-days due to illness. Potential crisis And in the Caribbean, where one in eight people live with diabetes, and non-communicable diseases account for four out of five deaths, the first symptoms of an imminent crisis are already being felt. In economic terms, the annual cost of treating just one diabetes case exceeds the annual per capita spending on health by a factor of 1.2 in the Eastern Caribbean. And the greatest burden of cost falls hardest on the poorest. In Saint Lucia, where over half the population are overweight, on average 36% of annual household spending goes on health. However, the cost isn’t evenly spread and lower-income households end up paying a much higher price proportionally: 48% of their income compared to just 20% in higher-income households, according to a recent report on nursing in the Caribbean. What’s more, poor households are more likely to earn an hourly wage, which means that any lost or reduced work-day means an extra fall in household income. And medical visits tend to increase by 20% when living with a non-communicable disease. At the same time, the Caribbean is also facing a worrying lack of nursing staff specialized in preventing and treating these conditions. Despite 10% of Saint Lucians living with diabetes, the country has just one nurse who is specialized in diabetology, according to World Bank research. And it’s not alone. The study revealed similar treatment gaps across the region, since the rapid increase in prevalence rates has not translated into greater specialization for treating the disease. And while prevalence rates are greatest in the Caribbean, no Latin American country is immune to the changing epidemiologic profile from communicable to non-communicable diseases.