During the 2009 school year, Education and Hope is providing comprehensive scholarships to 194 children and young adults.  The great majority of these students live in the rural areas on the outskirts of Quetzaltenango and are given the opportunity to attend moderately-priced private schools in the city, where tuition can be as low as $25 a month.  In addition to covering registration fees and monthly tuition costs, we provide each student with a new backpack filled with school supplies, a school uniform, a pair of school shoes and sneakers, bus fare to get back and forth to school, and any materials required throughout the year.  We also help to cover any necessary medical expenses.  The amount of each individual scholarship varies according to the particular expenses of that child’s educational institution and the economic situation of each family. Since the majority of our families live in extreme poverty, scholarships in most cases cover almost all costs incurred by each student.

The 194 scholarships extended in 2009 include:

• 7 early childhood program
• 79 primary school
• 48 middle school
• 28 high school
• 32 university