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The objective of the Proniño program is to diminish and ultimately eradicate the risk factors that lead to child labor in urban sectors, by helping students stay in the formal school system, and increase their access to secondary education opportunities.

Program Components

The program began in 2001 with 800 beneficiaries. At the moment, it has 1500 direct beneficiaries in 10 schools in the following towns: Bahía Blanca, Bariloche, Córdoba, Mar del Plata, Mendoza, Paraná, Resistencia, Rosario and Buenos Aires City.

With the methodology proposed by CONCIENCIA, the program Proniño is a comprehensive intervention for children and their families which provides various resources such as: provision of school materials, footwear, recreational activities, health services, psychological, school and family support, parent workshops, occupational training for parents, teacher trainings, etc.

The program Proniño seeks to raise awareness in the community about the importance of a child’s overall development, personal rights, and the value of educational spaces at the same time it works to  discourage positive perceptions of child labor.

Achievements 2006

• 1,890 students received a scholarship in the past year.
• 12 public schools in the country participated in the program.
• Low rate of school desertion
• Proniño improved school attendance.
• 75% of the children reached satisfactory school performance.
• 82% of the beneficiaries of 2006 advanced to the next grade.
• Stronger collaboration was observed among parents, school and the community.
• The beneficiaries are more enthusiastic to go to school, began to show an interest in reading, and are committed to completing their homework.
• The children improved their social skills and health, increased self-respect and self-acceptance and value their own progress.
• Students improved their ability to care for their environment (they help conserve class materials, care for their classrooms, and are interested in the development of new school activities, etc.)

Challenges

Some challenges of the program are the following: to improve the educational quality in schools; to improve conditions in the children's lives, to help families understand the value of education and the importance of preventing their children from working; and to organize and publish program results in the communities, among others.