Boosted by Covid – Online Education and Mental Health Treatments Come of Age

By Leah Pollak
Technology and Education
 04/02/2025

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Before the covid outbreak, online medicine and mental health counseling was a difficult sell. Few people had experience using Zoom-like conferencing apps for a doctor  appointment. Fewer still the experience or confidence to consult a  psychologist online. Who could have guessed that in just five years these options would become commonplace?

At Fundación del Saber, we apply these new tools to a critical demographic: young adults aged 18-25. This period of life — marked by significant transitions in mental health and educational pursuits — makes this a pivotal time for interventions that can enable well-being as well as academic success.

According to the Inter-American Development Bank, individuals with a university degree in Latin America earn approximately 250% more than those with only a high school diploma. This financial stability can reduce stress and permit access to more comprehensive healthcare. But today, state-of-the-art health services in Latin America remain accessible to only a fraction of the population. That  is why Fundacion del Saber leverages technology with health and IT professionals to design solutions. The tools are in our hands, that’s why  we say: There is No Excuse!

Last week at Davos, the World Economic Forum released an article “E-migración: el auge y el impacto del nearshoring en el talento global.” The evolution from nearshoring to “e-migration” has been revolutionary. In 2023 alone, over 2.2 million remote workers from Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico collaborated with global companies without leaving their home countries.

This growing demand for Latin American talent opens new career opportunities, especially for developers living in rural areas or smaller cities where such possibilities are scarce. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of South American professionals working remotely for North American companies grew by 70%. Companies including Google, Salesforce, and Adobe entrusted significant projects to Latin American teams, attracted by their technical expertise and cultural alignment.

Furthermore, Deloitte predicts that the global tech industry will need an additional 7.1 million skilled workers by 2034. Latin America is uniquely positioned to meet this demand. According to the IADB, nearshoring could increase the region’s annual exports by $78 billion. This vision goes beyond numbers; it represents sustainable growth.

At Fundación del Saber, our scholars attending @Jala University are a testament that online education can bridge socio-economic divides. This education provides access to high-quality, industry-driven university programs. These are students who rarely — if ever –  have the means to attend traditional institutions due to distance, economic conditions, security concerns, care responsibilities, or all of the above. The Jala University full tuition scholarships enables students like Luann in Recife, Luciana in Cochabamba, Román in Patagonia, and José in Casanare to study and safely obtain an engineering degree, while outside their doors they confront cartel wars, guerrilla violence, and social riots.

Mental health is a particularly pressing concern for these young adults. Studies indicate that roughly half of all lifetime mental disorders begin by the mid-teens, and three-fourths by the mid-20s. This makes the college years a critical period for mental health interventions. Early onset of mental disorders is often linked to greater long term severity, persistence, and lower response to treatment.  Timely access to mental health services is crucial.

This is why @JalaUniversity invests in proactive Student Services which play a crucial role in helping our scholars advance with their studies. This solid combination of highly motivated students and comprehensive (and timely) online mental and physical health services is the foundation of our platform. Fundación del Saber combines  med-tech, fem-tech, and AI technologies. Together this is known as “The Women’s Health Empowerment Initiative” and our goal is to reach 10,000+ women this year.

By  offering preventive health education and better management of self-reported mental health outcomes, the goal is to assist students to not only complete their education but thrive as healthy, empowered leaders in their communities.

The next decade will be defined by cross-border collaboration and the strategic deployment of global talent teams. Working with Fundación del Saber members in 20 countries and with continued investment and support we can ensure that the next generation of “e-migrants” continues to grow. By developing new skills and unlocking new opportunities they can drive their towns and countries forward. This is a unique growth opportunity, benefiting both local communities and global companies.

Can we turn a blind eye when we have the means, the technology, and the capital? No, and that is why we again declare — There Is No Excuse!

#Thereisnoexcuse #Nohayexcusa #NãoHaDesculpa