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Supporting Jewish Communities in Central and South America
The Latin American Campaign is a major program of new projects designed to ensure the continuity of Latin American Jewish communities by creating a sense of unity and connection throughout the region and by meeting
the highly individual and specific needs of each community.
ORT has already established several centers of excellence in Latin America. ORT Argentina has grown into one of the country’s largest providers of education and has a
well-established tradition of innovation. ORT Uruguay is ranked among the world’s best universities. ORT's reputation for excellence extends also into Brazil, Chile, Mexico and many other countries in the region.
Why Launch the Latin American Campaign Now? The global economic crisis struck hard at communities all over the world but just as it hit, many Latin American
countries had just been emerging from nearly a decade of recession and their economies were still fragile. They were already awash in high inflation, skills shortages, record unemployment, a widening poverty gap --
all consequences of economies adapting to rising global demands for energy, low-cost imports and fast-paced technological advances. These problems grew exponentially when the current global economic crisis began and
Latin America's economic growth, still relatively halting, slowed considerably.
 The Latin American Jewish communities themselves have been slow to recover as well. Sharply rising emigration levels (much of that driven by economic hardship) have resulted in declining Jewish populations. Many
synagogues and Jewish schools closed during the recession have yet to reopen and the local community welfare organizations remain saddled with debt. For many of these communities, ORT (which has been in the region for
decades) is the only source of Jewish education and is their main connection to Judaism. The projects of the Latin American Campaign will provide support to these Jewish communities in this difficult period of change and will help build a solid base for their future. They will provide students with a high
quality Jewish education and put them in a position to benefit from the demand for new technological skills. The Latin American Campaign will help those trapped in the cycle of poverty, strengthen the foundations of
the communities and secure their prosperity and self-sufficiency. What Programs and Projects Will the Campaign Support and in Which Countries?
The campaign addresses the specific needs of major Jewish communities in Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and smaller Jewish communities in Bolivia, Costa Rica,
Peru and Panama over a three-year period. The major beneficiary countries - Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Venezuela have agreed to match international fundraising.
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 Argentina: The ORT high schools in Buenos Aires are overcrowded and a new school
is desperately to accommodate the demand. More than 500 Jewish students per year are turned away due to space limitations. ORT plans to build a
new high school in Buenos Aires with a capacity of 750 students to accommodate the need created when the economic crisis closed 11 Jewish schools in the region. Click here to learn more.
Brazil: Plans here include scholarships for underprivileged students and upgrades to equipment as well as science and technology facilities at the ORT School for
Science and Technology. Located in Petropolis, on a hill 40 miles from Rio de Janeiro, this pioneering center is a unique project for teaching natural science to youngsters out in the field, surrounded by a 850,000
square meter area, with forest, river and lakes. It is specially designed for study and research in ecology and environmental education. While the project serves as an advanced campus for the ORT school in Rio de
Janeiro, it will also be open to students attending other schools.
Chile: Over half of the Jewish children in Santiago receive no Jewish education while others living in the lower town section away from the larger the Jewish community
have little or no exposure to Jewish culture whatsoever. ORT will open a new and affordable Jewish school with a capacity of 425 students that will cater to children not currently benefiting from a Jewish
education.
Mexico: The ORT Mexico Digital Media Center trains students in photography, music, video, audio, radio and television production. The center offers an 18-month
associate degree course in digital media that enables students to obtain a job right out of school or begin their own businesses. However, there is a desperate need for up to date equipment and support
the Center's outreach courses for high school students from over 30 schools in Mexico City.
Uruguay: The Jewish community in Uruguay is largely impoverished – a recession, an economic crash, and globalization all are contributing factors. As a result, dropout
rates from community institutions, including schools, are rising at an alarming rate. ORT aims to provide 5-year scholarships for 400 Jewish students at ORT University who are in need of financial assistance.
Bolivia, Costa Rica, Peru and Panama: Build a computer center for the Jewish schools in each of these small Jewish communities
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ORT News from
Latin America |
