Over the years at EM, we've worked in many underdeveloped communities, and one of the recurring needs we have encountered is education. From small children to youth and young adults, there are so many intelligent, creative young people who have a strong desire to get an education and work toward a career, yet they don't have the money to attend classes.
Nowhere has this been more evident than in Haiti. Back in 2011, there were several Experience Mission teams who came to help remove rubble from the devastating earthquake the year before. Many Haitian teens and young adults started helping teams haul rubble, and most of them were struggling to afford their education. We quickly realized that the local students had a need, and the team members had money and wanted to help. In an effort to create a structure for teams to give in a healthy way, we developed our Educational Scholarship Program in Haiti and soon expanded to Jamaica. In the future, we hope to start providing scholarships for students in our Latin American partner communities as well.
This is a completely donor-based program so we can't do it without your help! We realize that you have many good causes that you can choose to support, so you may ask, "Why education?" Here are 5 reasons why we think you should consider financially supporting students through EM's Education Program.
1) You're providing hope
Youth caught in poverty often feel powerless to attain a decent career and build a stable life, so sadly many settle for temporary distractions that are destructive. This is evidenced by high rates of teen pregnancy, single motherhood, drugs, alcohol, theft, and dishonest business practices in communities where we work. Often these negative life cycles start when people are in their teens. These are well-meaning youth who simply lost hope in the future. The prospect of education can provide the hope young people need to pursue a better life.
2) You're giving an opportunity not a handout
When you invest in education, you empower young people through a financial donation, but they still have to do their part. They must attend classes and apply themselves in their studies. This can be challenging when you live in an underdeveloped community with cramped living conditions and an unstable environment, but it can be next to impossible if you also have to work your own way through school. By providing scholarships, we are simply bringing the unattainable within reach.
3) You're restoring people's dignity
In many impoverished communities, a small minority hold the vast majority of wealth and power. Typically, they use the "ignorance of the masses" to retain this power and ensure that unfair societal structures remain intact so they stay in power while everyone else remains poor. This inevitably turns the society into a class system with sharp divisions: rich/poor, light/dark, educated/ignorant, etc. Sadly, those at the bottom of the ladder are systematically stripped of their dignity and made to believe they are "less than." Empowering them to gain an education and build a career helps to restore that dignity.
4) You're investing in the future
The poverty that plagues underdeveloped communities is so much more than a lack of money. Usually, you will find that poor communities suffer from layers of broken social, political, and economic structures that must be addressed before poverty can be diminished. Sadly, all too often the older generations have grown to except these conditions as simply "the way things are." It is the upcoming generation that may have the energy and creativity to work toward genuine solutions, but they can't do it without training, and a big part of that is education.
5) 100% of your donations go into the local community
Often donors don't realize that the vast majority of their donations to various organizations go toward the administrative costs of a domestic U.S. office. All of your donations to EM's Education Program go directly into the community you are supporting. 70% of your donation goes to the educational costs of an individual student in the community and the other 30% goes toward local program infrastructure. 0% goes to the Experience Mission U.S. operations and headquarters.
Will you consider becoming a one-time or monthly Education donor?
Visit ">HopeToRise.org to learn how you can give.
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