VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCD #0064/01 0501942
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191941Z FEB 10
FM AMCONSUL CIUDAD JUAREZ
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0015
INFO RUEHCD/AMCONSUL CIUDAD JUAREZ
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO

UNCLAS CIUDAD JUAREZ 000064 
 
SIPDIS 
PASS TO S/GWI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO PHUM KWMN MX
SUBJECT: S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSAL - CIUDAD JUAREZ 
 
REF: STATE 132094 
 
PROPOSAL REQUEST/SUMMARY 
 
 
 
¶1.  US Consulate General Ciudad Juarez proposes a partnership with 
Chihuahua's leading private sector foundation, FECHAC (Fundacion 
del Empresariado Chihuahuense, A.C.) to expand an after-school 
program targeting at-risk girls and boys of working mothers in 
Ciudad Juarez.  The USD 99,749 program would directly support 
Pillar IV of Mission Mexico's "Beyond Merida" framework, which 
seeks to strengthen community resistance to criminal organizations. 
FECHAC currently operates the after-school program (Horario 
Extendido) in 11 schools, reaching 1,400 primary school-aged 
students in low-income neighborhoods.  Grant resources will 
contribute to FECHAC's goal of expanding the program to an 
additional 11 schools in 2010.  Specifically, the grant will fund 
the after-school program in five schools for 12 months, directly 
benefitting 400 children.  Participating students will be monitored 
to determine whether they are reaching the program's desired 
outcomes, which include: increased school attendance, improved 
grade performance, and better health indicators.  At the conclusion 
of the grant implementation period, FECHAC has agreed to assume 
financial responsibility for the program in these schools. 
 
 
 
JUSTIFICATION 
 
 
 
¶2.  Violence in Ciudad Juarez reached alarming levels in 2009 and 
the city now has one of the highest murder rates in the world. 
Last year, there were 2,640 homicides in the city, accounting for 
one of every three homicides in Mexico.  Conflict related to drug 
trafficking is the leading source of this violence, with teenagers 
and young adults disproportionately impacted as both victims and 
perpetrators of crime.  The January 31 murder of fifteen people in 
Ciudad Juarez, most of whom were students with no known criminal 
ties, is the most recent reminder of this reality and the continued 
threats facing youth in the city.  Drug trafficking organizations 
and gangs increasingly recruit girls and young women who lack 
educational opportunities and job skills to participate in criminal 
activity.  There is a growing local and national consensus that to 
reverse this trend Ciudad Juarez needs programs that address the 
inadequate supply of quality educational opportunities, 
particularly for girls.  Between 25 and 40 percent of middle school 
and high school-aged children in Juarez are out of school and 
unemployed.  Efforts to dismantle drug cartels will be undermined 
unless this at-risk population perceives it has more favorable 
alternatives to criminal activity. 
 
 
 
¶3.  FECHAC (Fundacion del Empresariado Chihuahuense, A.C.), 
Chihuahua's leading private sector foundation, argues that 
communities must focus their efforts at the primary school level to 
have a chance of reversing this trend.  World Bank research reveals 
that intervening on behalf of children at younger ages leads to 
better academic outcomes and lower incidence of criminal behavior 
later on.  Early intervention is also more cost-effective.  One 
area of particular concern for FECHAC is the lack of adult presence 
and guidance at home for primary school-aged students in the hours 
immediately after school.  Classes at public primary schools in 
Juarez begin at 8 a.m. and end at 1 p.m.  FECHAC Executive Director 
Karla Tarango estimates that more than one-third of primary school 
students (6-12 years old) in Ciudad Juarez, or nearly 60,000 
children, are unsupervised after school because their parents work. 
Many of these students are children of single, working mothers.  As 
these students reach middle school many are either unable to meet 
minimum grade requirements to continue on, or they do not perceive 
the value of education and drop out.  Chihuahua Secretary of 
Education statistics reveal a dramatic drop in school attendance 
rates in Juarez as students move from primary to middle school.  In 
2009, 91 percent of 12 year old children attended school, 68 
percent of 14 year olds, and only 15 percent of 18 year olds. 
 
 
 
FECHAC'S AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM (HORARIO EXTENDIDO) 
 
 
 
¶4.  To address youth violence and the education deficit in Juarez, 
beginning in 2007 FECHAC partnered with the private sector, civil 
society, and government to provide after-school programming for 
primary school students.  The Horario Extendido (Extended Schedule) 
 
program provides homework tutoring, English and computer classes, 
nutritional guidance and meals, gender violence prevention, as well 
as recreational activities such as music, art, dance and sports to 
more than 1,400 students in 11 schools in some of the city's 
poorest neighborhoods.  At a yearly cost of USD 230 per student, 
the program complements Mexico's public education curriculum by 
expanding classroom options for students and promoting learning and 
life skills.  The program also provides students a safe 
after-school environment with adult supervision. 
 
 
 
¶5.  FECHAC funds the Horario Extendido program with support from 
over 38,000 local business people who contribute 10 percent of 
their state payroll tax to a FECHAC managed trust.  FECHAC then 
delivers these resources to NGOs that are responsible for program 
delivery at public schools.  Communities and parents have 
significant authority over the program's design, financial 
management, and assessment of student learning through parent 
councils.  Horario Extendido's demand-driven approach ensures that 
the program reflects local priorities and values. 
 
 
 
¶6.  In the three years since Horario Extendido began, students 
participating in the program have on average improved their grades 
and increased school attendance.  For instance, students involved 
in the Ccompaz-managed program (Ccompaz being one of five NGOs 
responsible for service delivery) increased their grade average by 
eight points (from 78 to 86 percent).  Student and parent surveys 
indicate high levels of satisfaction with the program. 
 
 
 
IMPACT OF AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS 
 
 
 
¶7.  After-school programs provide many benefits to students, 
parents, and the community at-large.  Evidence from similar 
programs in Latin America, such as Brazil's Abrindo Espacos 
(Opening Spaces) after-school program, illustrates these potential 
benefits.  Abrindo Espacos started in 2000 as a partnership between 
UNESCO and local government to keep primary schools in the poorest 
and most violent neighborhoods open after hours and during 
weekends.  According to a UNESCO study, communities with schools 
participating in the program experienced as much as a 60 percent 
reduction in juvenile violence.  The program also increased student 
performance and reduced the rates of sexual aggression, suicide, 
substance abuse, theft, and armed robbery in participating 
communities.  Schools that entered the program earlier had greater 
success, suggesting increased impact over time. 
 
 
 
POTENTIAL TO SCALE-UP THE PROGRAM 
 
 
 
¶8.  Horario Extendido services less than one percent of the city's 
180,000 primary school-aged students.  The program's impact could 
be enhanced through greater coverage and by extending hours to 
include weekends.  Resources from other sources could also be 
provided to increase programmatic focus in the form of equipment 
and training for information technology, English classes, and the 
development of other marketable skills.  Consideration may also be 
given to extending the program to include middle and high school 
students. 
 
 
 
DESCRIPTION OF RECIPIENT ORGANIZATION 
 
 
 
¶9.  FECHAC was founded in 1996 as a partnership between the private 
sector, civil society and government to address the Mexican state 
of Chihuahua's development challenges.  FECHAC manages resources 
for development projects from a 10 percent voluntary state payroll 
tax.  The tax is collected by the state Secretariat of Finance and 
deposited in a trust, which is managed by a 25-member technical 
committee made up of 19 FECHAC board members, two representatives 
appointed by the governor, two state legislators, and two mayors 
named by the state congress.  Since its inception, FECHAC has 
raised and managed USD 95 million to support 1,944 social welfare 
projects in the areas of education (50 percent of total resources), 
health (42 percent) and social capital (8 percent). 
 
¶10.  FECHAC has a branch office in each of the nine largest cities 
in Chihuahua.  Each branch has a board comprised of 15 local 
employers.  Two members of each board serve on the statewide 
technical committee, along with a board president chosen by FECHAC 
members in a statewide vote.  Board members are responsible for 
reviewing each proposal submitted by NGOs and carrying out visits 
to evaluate each project.  Board members are involved in every 
organizational aspect of the foundation, from creating its vision 
to establishing the policies and procedures.  FECHAC spends eight 
percent of its budget on administrative and promotional expenses, 
and publishes its annual financial statements, which are audited by 
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, on its public website ( 
http://www.fechac.org/web/index.php). 
 
 
 
¶11.  FECHAC has worked with Mexico's Social Development Secretary, 
the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank.  It has 
received awards for innovative service delivery from national and 
international organizations, including the United Nations. 
 
 
 
GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES 
 
 
 
¶12.  The Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues Small Grants 
Initiative will fund operation and human resources costs for after 
school programming at five schools for 12 months, directly 
benefitting 400 girls and boys.  The activities will include: 
 
 
 
*         Homework tutoring 
 
*         English and computer classes 
 
*         Nutrition workshops and daily lunches for participants 
 
*         Gender violence prevention workshops with students and 
parents 
 
*         Music, art, and dance classes 
 
*         Safe and supervised environment for sports, including 
soccer and karate 
 
*         Workshops on developing values 
 
 
 
¶13.  The Center for Civil Society Strengthening (CFOSC) at the 
Monterrey Technical Institute (ITESM), a leading Mexican 
university, conducts surveys with parents, teachers, and students 
participating in the program four times a year to measure student 
progress and receive feedback on how to improve the program.  CFOSC 
shares survey information with FECHAC to measure student grade 
performance, school attendance, and health indicators.  Previous 
survey information has revealed improvements in all of these 
categories for students participating in FECHAC managed 
after-school programs.  CFOSC will conduct surveys at the five 
S/GWI funded schools to measure the program's impact.  Consulate 
Officers will meet periodically with CFOSC and FECHAC to monitor 
the program's advances. 
 
 
 
¶14.  BUDGET 
 
 
 
--- Human resources costs (teachers and support staff): USD 60,833 
 
--- Operation costs (workshops, meals, training, education material 
and equipment, musical 
 
     instruments, school maintenance, and transportation): USD 
38,916 
 
--- Total: USD 99,749 
 
 
 
¶15.  POL/ECON Officer Ryan Reid, HYPERLINK " 
mailto:reidrm@state.gov"reidrm@state.gov, will be the point of 
 
contact for any questions regarding this grant proposal. 
McGrath