Providing scholarships to Salvadoran youth is nothing new to us. Hundreds of students have benefited from support we have been blessed to provide. In the past my partner visited the country a minimum of once a year and carefully selected students that seemed to show the most potential for completing their goals to graduate. A promise was offered to support them for as long as they wished to study. The students were scattered around the country making it difficult to visit them as regularly as they deserved.
As annual visits became an impossibility and more and more students requested financial assistance, we needed to make some decisions. What criteria do we use to select students when we aren’t there to meet them personally? How many can we faithfully serve and for how long? How do we monitor their success in school? We knew we wanted to concentrate our program in one community rather than being spread out across the country. We also decided to fund only post-high school students who were more serious about their studies.
Another decision was to choose an in-country coordinator whom we trusted to help with these decisions. Enter Pastor Cristian Chavarria. We knew him for many years and trusted him. He was serving as lay pastor in one campesino community at the time and was soon to be ordained. He was fluent in English. We shared common goals for the students to succeed. By working in tandem with Cristian, we are feeling much more secure in knowing that our scholarship program is on firmer ground.
Cristian has specific criteria for selecting scholarship students. He sees them often and mentors them. In addition to a strong commitment to study, students must be willing to participate in the community projects as a group. The group has shown an interest in their community by hosting trash clean-up days, filling the local lake with fish, and planting trees and a garden on the grounds of the church. They have grown as a cohesive group and support each other during their rough times such as the pandemic.
They also are required to present their grades at the end of each term in order to keep their scholarship money. This transparency helps us know these students are serious ones.
We are on their group WhatsApp making us aware of their activities and chiming in now and then. Seeing their pictures of group activities is a great way to include us when we cannot be there in person. Cristian also has arranged live visits between us using this app where we can converse face to face.
At times we have been able to find donated computers to help the students do their work. Typically they use their cell phones which is tough at the college level.
We are always pleased when graduates send us photos from their recent graduations with thank you notes like these:
Hi Don and Caroline, {on behalf of our contributors}
I want to share with you this important moment in my life: I received my degree in Tourism!
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a graduation ceremony because of the pandemic, but that can not erase my smile. You are part of this achievement and I want to say thank you so much for all your support. You were a couple of angels that God put in my way.
I hope you’re well and I hope to see you in the future.
Blessings, Adrian
GOOD AFTERNOON, DON, CAROLINE {other supporters} CRISTIAN, COLLEAGUES, I SHARE PHOTOS OF MY GRADUATION THAT TOOK PLACE ON TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021, I GRADUATED FROM THE BACHELOR OF MATHEMATICS SPECIALTY EDUCATION. I THANK GOD FOR YOU AND ALL THE SUPPORT DURING MY STUDIES AND THE AFFECTION THAT I HAVE RECEIVED FROM EACH OF YOU. PAULA
We can now feel much more secure in knowing students applying for scholarships are all consistently screened and interviewed using the same criteria, working together as a group in their community, and encouraging one another in their goals.
This past year we added an assistant, Pablo, to help Pastor Cristian. He tends to lots of the nitty gritty details for us. Having been in the scholarship program himself, his familiarity helps guide him in organizing and assisting all involved.
Blessings abound!
