Scholarship Costs
Most of our students are matched up with a single sponsor in the USA. We are able to provide everything described above for $450/year. Some of our sponsors choose to make a recurring monthly donation of $38/month. Once we are able to assign a student to you, you will receive a short biography of your student as well as a photograph. We encourage letter writing between student/sponsor and we do our best to facilitate that process on both ends. In addition to sponsorship, we rely on generous donors to help keep the daily operations in Zambia running. For example, one of our regular donors does not sponsor a specific child, but his monthly contribution of $50 is used to help pay the salary of our security guards. Every penny that we take in goes directly to Zambia to further the education of our youth. No Americans are taking a salary. Let us know if you're interested in sponsorship or supporting our general fund.
How It Works
Every October, our board and staff in Zambia begin constructing a list of candidates to be considered for a scholarship for the upcoming school year. Our staff work closely with teachers, principals, and social workers to best identify those pupils who are both academically qualified to take full advantage of the opportunity and are also in the most need of this financial support as Orphans or Vulnerable Children (OVC). The majority of these new students are completing Grade 9 and writing their Secondary School Entrance Exams in hopes of being accepted to continue their education. We do occasionally take on students who are in lower or higher grades that have experienced some sort of recent trauma or other familiar change that has made it impossible for them to pay their own school fees.
Because test results aren't made available until just a few days before the start of the new school year in January, the final decision on students cannot be made until the last minute. Our board in the US communicates the number of students we can support for the coming school year and tasks the Zambian team to identify the most worthy candidates to fill those spots.
When the scholarship is offered, we expect new students to move into our Student Life Center while school is in session. Their scholarship includes boarding costs, meals, all school and administrative fees, books, and uniforms. On top of their formal education, we have partnered with other NGOs and churches operating in the area to provide supplemental education on topics like health, hygiene, and spirituality. It is our belief that if all of their basic needs are met and they are allowed to live in a safe, supportive environment free of chaos or violence, our students will be able to dedicate their full efforts to their studies.
