Catch Up with RET (September 2024)

Welcome to?Catch Up with RET. Each month, we highlight our work around the world and how we're making a difference on the lives of women, girls, and youth. Want to help us make a difference???? Make a donation?today.

What can your donation do? Among other things, $50 can...

• Help a single mother in DRC send her children to school – for the entire year.
• Support a household in Niger for the entire month.
• Double the income of a family in Peru, providing them with more nutritious food and/or better educational opportunities for their children.

For our U.S. supporters, we’re a 501(c)3, and donations may be tax deductible.

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Featured Photo

This month's featured photo comes from our team in Panama, and the story behind it is available in its original Spanish text with English translation.

• Durante el mes de mayo, Panamá se vistió de fiesta para celebrar la rica diversidad de su población afrodescendiente. RET se unió a esta celebración y estuvo presente en Bajo Chiquito, compartiendo una jornada inolvidable junto a los ni?os de la escuela y sus familias. La alegría y el entusiasmo se contagiaron en cada actividad, la participación de los más peque?os fue un claro ejemplo de cómo la educación y la convivencia pueden construir un futuro más inclusivo.
• During the month of May, Panama dressed up to celebrate the rich diversity of its Afro-descendant population. RET joined this celebration and was present in Bajo Chiquito, sharing an unforgettable day with the school children and their families. Joy and enthusiasm were spread in each activity, the participation of the little ones was a clear example of how education and coexistence can build a more inclusive future.

Impact Story

We've been active in Peru since 2018 through a number of projects. Through Aprendiendo Unidos (Learning Together) in collaboration with Education Cannot Wait (ECW) , here's a look back at how supported distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the most vulnerable children were not left behind. Beyciveck, a Venezuelan adolescent who participated in this program, shares her story and how the program made a difference in her life.

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In Brief

We're on the ground in 14 countries. Here's what we've been up to in just a few of them over the last month...

• In the Rugombo commune in Burundi, we brought together teachers for a training program focused on enhancing their skills to support children in crises. Schools in the Communal Education Directorate, like many others, face challenges during natural disasters and social upheavals. This training equipped educators with the confidence and tools to care for students during these difficult times. Read more about it here.
• The Institute for Conflict Studies and Humanitarian Action (IECAH) published a report of the review study of the coordination mechanisms of the response to mixed movements in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). As partners of REDLAC, R4V and the LAC-RMD Coalition, we actively participated in focus groups and surveys that have contributed to this study. Read the full story here.
• On August 19, we reflected on the importance – and risks – of humanitarian work on World Humanitarian Day. This commemorated the 20th anniversary of the tragic attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad. Our commitment remains unwavering: to serve those in need, no matter who they are, where they are, #NoMatterWhat.
• In May, our CEO Zeynep Gülgün Gündüz made a field visit to our team in Türkiye. Her itinerary included strategic meetings at the central office in Ankara and insightful visits to RET’s fast-growing community centers in Aksaray and Kayseri. These engagements allowed her to connect deeply with staff and participants, reinforcing our commitment to humanitarian efforts in Türkiye. See the photos from her visit here.
• We celebrated International Youth Day (August 12), whose theme "From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development" relates directly to our work empowering youth people. Take a look back at Prince's story to see how we're providing opportunities to develop digital skills.

Longer Reads

Here's a roundup of a couple articles that take a deeper dive into our work.

• Felicia Gallego is the mayor of the Besikó district in Ng?be-Buglé, a coastal area in Panama at high risk for a plethora of natural events including coastal flooding and landslides, extreme heat and wildfires and even earthquakes and volcanic activity from Mount Baru. The Indigenous communities have learned to navigate these occurrences, but their frequency and scale is quickly changing. With risk and disasters changing significantly, “now, Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (CDRM) is a concept that the community understands, whereas previously it was unknown.” Read more about how Felicia is helping her community adapt to a rapidly-changing world.
• In a series of articles to provide greater transparency about how we operate, we took a look at 10 ways that we make difference and how your contribution can help us continue this important work. Read the full article here, and make a donation to RET today.

That's it for this edition of Catch Up with RET, but before we close...

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CC: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency , Yield Giving , Lever for Change , Zayed Sustainability Prize , The Rockefeller Foundation , UBS Optimus Foundation , AGENCIA ESPA?OLA DE COOPERACION INTERNACIONAL PARA EL DESARROLLO - AECID , USAID , USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance , European Commission , European Commission - ECHO , The World Bank Group , 世界银行 , African Development Bank Group , African Union , African Union Development Agency-NEPAD , African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) , Education Cannot Wait (ECW) , Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies , Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) , Bloomberg Philanthropies , COMESA Secretariat , ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) , Olympic Refuge Foundation , 美国国务院