Community service programs

Scholarship program (1992-present)

UPAVIM awards over 300 becas yearly that cover the costs of inscription and most materials for children who attend one of the schools in the community and who might not otherwise be able to afford going to school. The scholarships for primary school cost about US$20 and the junior high scholarships costs US$23. Recipients in junior high are required to do voluntneer work, and all students are required to pass their classes to automatically receive this scholarship the following year. There is a committee of Upavimas that evaluates the applications.

The Grupo UNE recently took a trip to a nature reserve in Panajachel. For many of these young people it was their first trip to the beautiful Lago Atitlan.

A second scholarship program is the Beca de Carerras, began in 2002, and has awarded a small number of scholarships to graduates of junior high with good grades to continue studying a 3-year professional degree at a public high school, most of which are in the center of the city. The recipients are chosen by a group of UPAVIMas and other community members, according to their financial need and willingness to commit to service-oriented volunteer work in the community. Many of the teenagers who have recieved the scholarship are working together in a group called UNE that meets in the the tutoring center on Saturdays. UPAVIM has awarded 16 three year scholarships, which vary in cost from $900 to $1400 a year.

Both of these programs depend entirely on many small donations from friends of UPAVIM in the United States and other countries. In the past, UPAVIM has awarded as many as 600 scholarships a year and this year was unable to award any new becas. Thank you for your support!

 

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