Blanca's home
BECADA LIVES
A MAJOR OBJECTIVE IS TO INVESTIGATE THE HOMES AND FAMILIES, FOR REASONS OF:
1) The mothers have been in favor
of education for their daughters. This has not always been true for the fathers who want the income from their undereducated daughters.
Discussing economics has helped to change this attitude: do they want to retire on their daughter's 700 quetzales ($88) per month
or Q5000 plus? Their daughter gains value as education has value.
2) Determine the family's economic situation. Most families
are experiencing dropping incomes. Spirit needs to know what we need to do to support the scholarship girl to keep her in school.
THE
HOMES:
a single room to several tiny rooms
dirt floors to cement floors
cement block to a few scraps of lumber and
sheet metal
NO interior plumbing, sporadic running village water or a well
OUR FAMILIES' INCOMES range from $60 to $200
with 3-12 family members living together.
80% of Guatemalans suffer from malnutrition. Ours families are in this group
· They lose infant teeth by 4 years and adult teeth by 15 years
· It has been a huge family sacrifice
to attend middle school
· They have not had school books
· Bus fare to school costs up to $2.75 per day
· Parents and older siblings earn $3.25-4.00 per
day, when they can work.
· There is no job security.
A
pizza costs $17
A gallon of gas costs $4+
A pound of chicken
$1.75
GODPARENT/GODFAMILY
or GODGROUP ANGELS
Godparent scholarships give Spirit girls love, hope, opportunity and respect. One of the
ways we do that is through scholarships. We hope you will have a desire to make a difference in the life of a girl and provide a scholarship
for one today.
The girls write it is wonderful to know that someone, without knowing them or having the obligation, cares and
believes in them. Your gift has tremendous impact in validating young women who often grow up hearing how worthless they are.
HOW
MUCH DOES THE SCHOLARSHIP COST?
100% of your scholarship money goes to the girls, not corporate structure.
This is our pledge to you!
SEPTEMBER 2010: Due to the falling
Assuming the dollar stabilizes and the 2011 school fees do not have an abnormal hike, the 2011
cost will be:
$825 for 2011 scholarships to private high school and University.
$475 for the governmental high school
program in accounting only.
The current two tiered pricing policy is due to major changes in government school (accounting program)
pricing.
Our pledge to you is that all scholarship money goes to the scholarship girls. There are no overheads, other than about
$1.75 per month per girl for our local management to cover their phone, transportation, etc expenses. Our managers provide an amazing
array of help from arranging hospital care, doling out equipment, internet access (electricity costs), visiting distant homes when
needed, etc. They are invaluable to the program.
We would like to have a 3 year commitment for high school and 6-7 year
commitment for university from our Godparent Angels to allow our girls to complete their education. We have increased the University
term by one year to allow for another recent change:
Girls attended 5-6 years of classes, followed by 9 month plus doing their
thesis. They now have the option of taking half their master's level classes in place of the thesis. All scholarships are 100% tax
deductible.
The cost of a scholarship depends on the US dollar and inflation in
WHAT DOES THE SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDE?
1) Yearly registration and tuition at a High School or University.
2) School uniforms- for high schools
3) English classes, equipment and supplies; each girl receives a full set of equipment,
including a CD player and ESL disks, study book, Basic English reference book, a dictionary and very study aids.
4) Transportation
5)
Some school supplies
Spirit also provides the following from other fund raising as money permits.
6) Computers and computer
internet access. Our goal to have a laptop in each home has been met.
7) Dental care for your girl and other medical care as
needed.
AM I THE ONLY SPONSOR FOR "MY" GIRL?
Yes, Spirit assigns only one sponsor per girl. Godparents can be individuals,
families or groups that you organize. You will receive monthly emails from your becada. This will allow you to share in your girl’s
dreams and successes, as well as reinforce their need for English.
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Giving a gift
where most needed is a great way to provide help to some of the world’s most vulnerable girls. Your gift to Spirit Education Foundation’s
general fund allows us to respond to additional needs of our girls- English reading books, computers and computer programs, medical
care, shipping for donations of clothes, shoes, dental supplies, etc.
Send an amount that is right for you and help us change
the future of our girls.
A Story of Hope
Many students take years to gather enough money to pay for their education. Girls from rural communities rarely have
even this possibility, due to lack of jobs and family and social pressures.
Glendy wanted an education so badly, that she walked
5 miles to catch a 1/2 hour bus to search the streets for the "scholarship lady". She found me at 4PM. Throughout her High School
years, she walked the 10 mile round trip daily. Through the effort of Glendy as a few other pioneers, the village has a once daily
truck for students.
She believes her Godmothers are her special Angels, someone who believes in her.