Matagalpa Scholarship Program
MATAGALPA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
We’re creating opportunities for youth in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.
Our Matagalpa Scholarship Program supports students from rural mountain areas of Nicaragua who have a high level of motivation to continue learning despite a variety of obstacles. The students range in age from 10 to 25 years old, and study at levels from fourth grade through university. They share a passionate desire to stay in school, even though many of the older students work on their families' farms. Transportation is a challenge, as secondary schools and universities/technical schools can be as much as two hours away by foot and by bus.
$15
SUPPORTS A PRIMARY STUDENT FOR 1 MONTH
$25
SUPPORTS A SECONDARY STUDENT FOR 1 MONTH
$40
SUPPORTS A UNIVERSITY STUDENT FOR 1 MONTH
MATAGALPA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
How does the scholarship program help students?
Our program pays for some out-of-pocket costs that families would otherwise have trouble affording, such as school supplies and uniforms. It subsidizes tuition for college and technical school students, and helps with transportation and food for students who travel to other communities to attend class. If they start in fifth grade and want to continue through university studies, we support them all the way. We are proud that our university and technical school graduates are now working in the following fields: nursing, accounting, agricultural engineering, sociology, industrial engineering, architecture, English, and social work.
Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Nearly 50% of the rural population live in poverty. Not that many years ago, nearly half of rural Nicaraguan children stopped attending school before reaching the sixth grade. Although literacy and school attendance are on the rise in Nicaragua, clear data are lacking, and even international organizations that monitor youth education globally have large gaps in their statistics.