ISCO MAIN PROGRAMS

ISCO Foundation focuses its support on 5 main areas which it sees as crucial to providing the best help to the sponsored children:

1. CHILDREN EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT

• This program is ISCO’s main program for giving full educational support to marginalised children. Beginning from a very young age (pre-school where possible) through to secondary level, ISCO makes sure that these children can and do go to school each day, and supports them with school fees, uniforms and textbooks. ISCO maintains good relationships with teachers and school authorities, as well as with parents and monitors the intellectual ability and development of each child in order to be able to see each child have the chance to grow up to become a responsible and productive citizen.

2. CHILDREN PRE-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

• ISCO realizes that in some slum areas, there are no pre-school centres available nearby. Yet these children need pre-school activities to be able to be admitted to public schools the following year. ISCO sets up pre-school activity centres to provide these children with basic foundation in education, in some areas, where such facilities are not available.

3. CHILDREN ACTIVITY CENTERS

• ISCO realizes that in order to achieve its goals, providing formal schooling alone for these marginalised children is not adequate. Reinforcement in the areas of personal development, living values, creativity and leadership is required. For this reason, ISCO sets up Children’s Activity Centres in each neighbourhood where it operates. Children are able to visit these Activity Centres after school to do interesting and beneficial activities, instead of going to the streets or being forced to work by their parents. ISCO provides tutors, educational materials, arts and crafts activities, as well as remedial classes for children who have difficulties in certain school subjects.

4. CHILDREN HEALTH AND NUTRITION PROGRAM

• After 2 years of operation, ISCO decided to add this important program to its main education program, because more and more children were found to be under-nourished and vulnerable to illness, which consequently affected their school performance. ISCO provides food supplements and vitamins for the children, examines their physical condition on a regular basis, and introduces the parents to healthy living and a clean environment.
  

5. CHILDREN PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM

• The Children’s Protection Program is an important extension to this service and ISCO introduced this program in 2003, as indications of child abuse or domestic violence have become more apparent. ISCO always tries to let children get all right they have by giving advocacy to the parents, communities and the children.