Ruhi Arbab & Simmons Baháʼí Schools, Colombia

About Ruhi Arbab & Simmons Baháʼí Schools

Mona Partner Since 2020

Since its inception in the early 1980's, the Ruhi Arbab and Simmons Baháʼí Schools have grown to provide high quality K-12 education to children and youth in Puerta Tejada and Jamundi, respectively. Both schools are overseen by the Ruhi Arbab Foundation.

These schools ensure their students become active agents in their learning process. Their mission is to build capacity in students to access scientific, technological, artistic, and spiritual knowledge in order to develop in them the qualities and skills of service to manage development initiatives in their community.

The Challenge

The population served by the school are families with lower socio-economic levels in rural and semi-urban areas whose parents work in the sugarcane industry. Most are of Afro-Colombian and mestizo descent, with homes where the mothers are the head of household and provide the majority of the family's income. Although children have access to public education, its quality is poor due to school overcrowding and inadequate teacher training. The main emphasis is on academic aspects without giving much importance to the spiritual and moral education of children.

The Solution: Ruhi Arbab & Simmons Baháʼí School Programs

High Quality K - 12 Education

Both schools are recognized by the families and municipalities they serve for the quality of their educational work. Enrollment has been steadily increasing over the past several years, currently providing high quality education to over 700 students.

In addition to teaching academics, technology, and the arts, the school

offers spiritual and moral education that inspires students to be of service in their communities and promotes their personal and social transformation. In each grade, students are also involved in community service work throughout the school year, such as visiting nursing homes for the elderly, teaching children and junior youth, and environmental stewardship activities.

How we help

Mona began partnering with the Ruhi Arbab and Simmons Baha'i schools in 2020 by supporting the construction of three new primary grade classrooms, two sets of bathrooms, and providing partial scholarships for all students. The expansion supported the schools to continue providing an integral education to their student population so that they may develop intellectually, materially and spiritually.

2023 Achievements

Ruhi Arbab Baháʼí School:

Recognized as one of the best schools in Puerto Tejada – receiving highest category possible from the government.
Educated 393 students, trained 22 teachers
Started the “Cultivating Hope” Project w/assistance from FUNDAEC
Helped 30 families achieve food security through the implementation of productive projects, home gardens, training in healthy nutrition and tree planting.

Simmons Baháʼí School:

319 students educated from 3 communities
Engaged 282 parents and community members
15 teachers trained

2024 Needs, $78,000

Ruhi Arbab Baháʼí School, $31,000

Scholarships, $17,000
Teacher training, $2,000
Infrastructure and general repairs, painting of facilities, $12,000

Simmons Baháʼí School, $47,000

4 stages of renovation work to take place without impeding education

Stage 1: Pre-operational Phase, $31,000
Construction of a classroom, $16,000

Updates

Responding to Needs

The coronavirus pandemic has been a major challenge for Colombia. A nationwide lockdown was issued on March 20, 2020.

Ruhi Arbab School has been fundamentally affected in the economic aspect, as families have great difficulty paying for their children’s education and accessing equipment or connectivity for virtual learning. Despite these challenges, they have adapted the curriculum to online education, trained their teachers, and provided families with scholarships.

Another adjustment that greatly strengthened their work has been weekly meetings with parents. These have helped strengthen the academic and disciplinary process of each student while hearing suggestions from parents for continuous improvement of the process.

Teacher Parent Relationships

Claudia was excited for her daughter María José (7 yrs old) to begin second grade in early 2020. But with the pandemic and health crisis looming, she was also concerned about how María José would adapt to online learning.

For Claudia, the weekly accompaniment of the school was key to their being able to face the challenges of mandatory quarantine and on-line classes. The support her daughter received from her teacher was also fundamental in aiding her to advance in her learning process: “The teacher, Sandra, who gave me her unconditional support, taking into account my situation as a head-of-household mother in a greatly trying time, and with a daughter for whom the change to virtual learning was a great challenge. When I was almost ready to give up, she generously offered a hand, providing reinforcement, words of encouragement and giving me tools that allowed me to regain control of the situation.”