Past Reports: 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
Scholarship Report 2009
T
he scholarship program continues to grow. Each year I am amazed at how God continues to deveop this program and use it to help more students and families.
This year a total of $24,343.50 was raised for the scholarship program. Below is a summary for how the scholarships were distributed this year. 
Total number of students = 219
# of students in preschool – 6th = 142
# of students in high school = 41
# of students in tech/vocational schools = 15
# of students in universities = 21
# of schools represented = 50
# of universities represented = 9
A couple of stories…
Our librarian, Rosmery, here at the sports center has been working with us since January. When she started her English was fairly good but she really had a desire to continue learning especially with all of the different teams from the States that work with us. She has been taking Englishes classes now for 4 months and is super excited about all that she is learning. Her confidence in speaking has grown and she seems more outgoing towards our team members. She is very thankful for the scholarship and looks forward to using her English more and more in the future.
Last year I wrote a story about Jefferson, a young deaf boy who is being scholarshipped at a local school for deaf children. He continues to do well there. This year, though, I am also scholarshipping his mom, Arlen, who last year started taking a course in learning sign language and how to be an interpreter. She was trying to pay for it herself but was having a hard time. She finally came to me asking for help and explaining how much she has learned and how excited she is about the course. She also hopes that in finishing she might be able to find a job with this new skill. As for now it has been very helpful just around her house in helping her son learn and helping others communicate with him more effectively.
Each year the number of students from around the sports center area that are receiving scholarships continues to grow. This year there are 18 students in this general area of Managua that are receiving scholarships. For me the exciting part about this is the fact that I know each of these students personally and see them from time to time in the neighborhood. Having 219 kids with scholarships, it is impossible to know them all. And many of them are recommended to me from either a fellow missionary, a local pastor or a director of a school. When I started giving out scholarships I really wanted to help the students around our general area, however, I did not have a connection to any schools or others ways of getting to know who needed financial help. But with time in living here I have come to know a number of different families who are trying to put their kids through tech/vocational programs or local universities and yet have a hard time with the cost. It is exciting each year to add more scholarships for youth in our area.
In the area of backpacks, we gave out 520 backpacks full of school supplies and another 90 bags of just school supplies. I have continued to ask students for their grades from the previous year and have held to my statement that we will not give out backpacks to students who are not passing their grade. I’ll never know how much of an incentive a backpack with school supplies is, but it is exciting to hear children around the sports center neighborhood come to me throughout the year to let me know that they are passing their classes.
Donations can be sent to:
Eastside Development
PO Box 301471
Portland, OR 97294
Or you can make an donation online.
From all the children, their families, and the university students as well as Thomas and I - thank you so much for being a part of this effort to help change lives through education! May God continue to bless your lives as you have been such a blessing to many children and young adults here in Nicaragua. Muchisimas gracias!
