January brings the start of a new school year in Guatemala, and for Mission Guatemala, that means a new opportunity to help students continue their education at the middle and high school level through our “Becas Con Misión” (Scholarships with a Mission) program! This year, we welcome 23 new students to the scholarship program, for a total of 72 middle schoolers and 20 high schoolers from 15 different communities!
The "Becas Con Misión” scholarship program helps provide an opportunity for further education to students who have excelled in their elementary education and who have the desire—but who lack the financial resources—to continue their education beyond the 6th grade. An elementary school education is still the only educational level that the Guatemalan government requires and readily provides.
Students selected for the "Becas" program are chosen on the basis of economic need and their grades in elementary school, as well as on recommendations from their 6th grade teachers. Once accepted into the program, Mission Guatemala helps cover the student's inscription fees and monthly tuition costs, as well as necessary school supplies and uniforms. For as long as each student maintains their grades and meets the other basic requirements of the program, Mission Guatemala will continue to support the students each year, beginning in middle school and continuing until they graduate from high school!
The “Becas” program also goes beyond simply helping to cover education expenses. Students in the program receive free access to Mission Guatemala’s medical clinic, and are also able to participate in enriching, relationship-building activities and workshops organized throughout the year by our staff!
In past years, we have kicked off each school year by gathering all of the scholarship students and their parents together so that we could share the details of the program with them and so that they could sign a document accepting the scholarship and acknowledging the expectations and standards of the program. However, this year, in an effort to limit unnecessary risk and exposure by bringing everyone together in one large gathering, we organized several meetings throughout the week, with smaller groups of students and parents socially distancing in an outdoor space at our clinic property in San Andrés.
This year, you can help these 92 students fulfill their dream of continuing their education! With an average cost of just $25 a month for middle school students and $50 a month for high school students, your support helps to change lives—impacting not only the students, but also their families and their communities—through the gift of education!
To learn more, or to support these students, please click here.
To see more photos from these meetings, click here.
