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Students waiting to be Sponsored

Marcelino Ajuchán Xico, comes from Patzicia in the department of Chimaltenango. He is 25 years old and is currently enrolled in the second year of Systems Engineering. Although he comes from a very humble family, his parents have worked hard to provide all of their six children with an education and all six of them have graduated from high school. The father works as a mason and the mother raises small animals in order to contribute to the family income. Marcelino is the only child who has continued his studies at the university level. He began his studies in 2007 and worked half time in order to pay his own expenses but he was unable to continue and dropped out of school in 2008 for lack of funds. He was unable to study in 2009 but he learned about our program and applied for help. Now, in 2010 he is returning to his program in Systems Engineering. Marcellino has a lot of potential as a leader. He is currently part of an association of university students in his town that is trying to help other young people enter the university by providing them with tutoring and orientation. We hope that with our support he will be able to better focus on his studies and accomplish his goals with higher grades and greater success.

Since its inception, the scholarship and loan program has let donors sponsor individual students, if they wished. Now, through our web page, we hope to facilitate sponsorship of individual students and encourage you and others to do so.

Sponsor David and his sponsored student Elvira Ramírez

Please consider committing to help a particular student earn his or her university degree. When you agree to support a student, the program staff in Guatemala will consult with you if you have any preferences about your student (man, woman, career, etc.) and then select an appropriate student. Through periodical letters with your sponsored student, you will enjoy a personal connection while developing a understanding of the circumstances our students face in Guatemala.

Because of the low cost of living and the advantageous exchange rate of quetzales to the dollar, it costs about $100 a month or  $1200 a year to sponsor most of our students. If you can't afford to support a student entirely on your own, you can ask your meeting, religious group or a group of friends to jointly pay the pledged amount, or contact us about having a partial scholarship. You will receive photos and periodical reports from the staff in Guatemala about the progress of your student.

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Progresa offers Study Tours which give participants a unique opportunity to visit service projects and meet former and current students while enjoying the natural beauty and rich culture of Guatemala.

We also sponsor a Work Tour in which volunteers spend a week teaching English to our highly motivated students.

 

Para poder realizar la solicitud, los interesados deben cumplir con tres sencillos pasos:

Paso 1: Primer contacto

El/la solicitante debe comunicarse directamente con el Programa, para conocer las generalidades de su situación y determinar si tiene el perfil deseado y si puede ser elegible. Este primer contacto es preferible que se haga telefónicamente para evitarle al estudiante un gasto innecesario, en caso de que no se acepte el trámite de su solicitud. También puede hacerse personalmente viniendo a las oficinas del Programa. Si se acepta el trámite de la solicitud, se le indicará al solicitante qué documentos necesita traer para continuar con el proceso.

Solicitante durante su entrevista de selección con miembros de Progresa.

Paso 2: Llenar formulario de solicitud

Luego del primer contacto, el solicitante deberá venir y llenar el formulario de solicitud proporcionado por nuestra oficina. Actualmente ya no se envían formularios por correo, como sucedía en el pasado, sino se entregan personalmente a cada solicitante. Tampoco se aceptan copias de la solicitud que solicitantes en el pasado o exbecarios posean. Con este formulario deben adjuntarse los otros documentos solicitados en el paso 1 para completar el expediente.

Paso 3: Entrevista personal

Al tener la papelería completa, incluida la solicitud llena, el solicitante sostendrá una entrevista personal con miembros de Progresa. En esta entrevista se tratará de conocer a fondo la situación económica y académica del solicitante. Tanto el paso 2, como este, se realizarán el mismo día, lo que significa que el solicitante deberá hacer sólo una visita a nuestras oficinas. Cada año el Programa trata de realizar entrevistas de selección en otros lugares como Cobán y Quetzaltenango a fin de que los aplicantes cercanos a estos lugares no deban viajar hasta la oficina en Chimaltenango. Las fechas de tales entrevistas, si se realizaran, serán dadas a conocer al inicio de cada proceso de selección.

Fechas para el proceso de selección

Los tres pasos del proceso de selección podrán realizarse a partir del 1 de agosto hasta el 10 de noviembre de cada año, en horario de lunes a viernes de 9:00 a 17:00 horas. Las respuestas a todas las solicitudes se brindan usualmente en la primera semana de diciembre, las fechas exactas serán comunicadas a cada solicitante durante su entrevista personal. Para iniciar el proceso de solicitud (en los meses indicados) o cualquier duda contáctenos a:

Asociación Programa Estudiantil de los Amigos Cuáqueros -PROGRESA-
Telefax: 7849-5970 progresa3@gmail.com

 

 

Teacher Melinda and student Rosa Sunum during one of the classes in the beautiful gardens of the Convent.

Our tour will focus on visiting service projects in the Guatemala highlands, home of Maya culture, and interacting with the Guatemalans running these projects, many of whom are our former students. This is a unique opportunity to meet Guatemalans in a non-tourist atmosphere. Your guides will be bilingual staff members from our scholarship program.

The $900 per person fee includes a $100 donation to PROGRESA which will be used to sponsor one of our students as well as all in-country lodging (double room occupancy), meals and transportation. Your only additional cost will be transportation to and from Guatemala City, souvenirs and alcoholic beverages. We will work with you and your group members to arrange appropriate dates for the tour.

Group of tourists and members of Guatemala Monthly Meeting at the program's office. Every group has had the chance to come to our project and learn more about the way it works and the kind of students we help.

Julio César (third from the left) is a law student who lives in Patzicia, in the departament (county) of Chimaltenango. The group of tourists had the chance to hear his story and also meet his siblings. Julio is the oldest child of this family, whose mother died a few years ago. He is the only one that has studied in university level, and hopes to help his youger siblings to do so too.

Faustina (holding her baby in the front row) is another law student from San Juan La Laguna, a small town around the Lake Atitlán. She is a single mother and works as a teacher while studying. Her town is famous for its handicrafts, specially weaving. The group had the chance to meet her family and to see how they make their weaving with a belt loom.

 

 

 

Do you want to consider sponsoring a Guatemalan student?    Click here to see a list of students"waiting to be sponsored"

Samples of textile products we sell with the collaboration of many friends.

We always try to buy our textiles from the artisans who make them in order to help their very basic economy. In the picture a member of a coop that sells us some of our products.

For most of our students finishing a career without our help would be impossible. This is the case of Lorenzo Jeteyá (left) who lives in San José Chacaya in the department of Sololá.

 

Help Needed

Now that we have many students with individual sponsors we need help translating all of the student letters and reports we provide. If your Spanish is strong and you would be interested in helping us with this task please write us at progresa3@gmail.com for more information.

One of our Graduates

Faustina Sis Simón, a graduate of our program, comes from Caserio Chuatacaj 2 outside of San José Poaquil, Chimaltenango. She received our help in 2004 in order to complete the last year of her teaching degree. On July 13th of this year she came to our office in order to repay her debt and to thank us for the financial support that we gave her in her time of need. Since her graduation she has worked at a variety of jobs. She is currently working as a “teacher by contract” (an insecure and poorly paid teaching post) while she waits for a “fixed position” (a better paid and more reliable position).

Students coming from Coban in bus rented for them.

This group is leading a group activity, know here as "dinámica"

Another view of the group on Saturday night

Students hearing the speech




Gabriel teaching one of the groups

Gabriel supervising one of the compost pil

Liliana Moscoso

Victor (standing) with one of the groups during his Math classes in Patzicía

Estefany (right) during one of her clases with 3 students learning how to play flutes and reading of the musical notes

One of the students showing some of the usable objects made of recycled materials. Inserted Benjamin García Barreno.

One of the students showing some of the usable objects made of recycled materials. Inserted Benjamin García Barreno.

 

Angela Nathali Moran Chen is a 19 year old student in her second year at the national Nursing school in Coban.  Her family lives near the school and Angela is able to live at home and take a local bus or even walk to school.  Her father is university educated and works as a middle school teacher.  They are wealthier than most of our families and ordinarily would be able to pay her expenses in school.

Two circumstances have forced them to ask for our help.  The first is that all three of the sisters in the family are currently studying at the high school or university level.  The second is that because the father served as the co-signer of a loan, he is now having the payments deducted from his salary.  Our small contribution of Q200 ($25) a month plus a few additional payments for uniforms and equipment make it possible for Angela to continue with her education despite her family financial set back

Isabel Cun Sinto is a 35 year old woman from Caserío Chuacruz, Poaquil, Chimaltenango. She is the sixth of 9 children in a family where no one has studied further than the 9th grade.  Her parents sent her to elementary school when she was older than most of the children because she was needed at home to help her mother but after this she had to stop several years more. She started the &"acute;básico&"acute; level (junior high school) when she was 23 years old and finished that level at the age of 25 paying her own expenses. She had to quit studies again and moved to other towns to work as a domestic servant for several years. During this time she got pregnant and became a single mother.

Now, her little daughter is 6 years old and has started school. This event, according to her, made her start school again and become an elementary teacher (secondary level career).  �With this, she says, I will have more possibilities to offer my daughter the chance of education� I know it is not going to be easy because it is a long time since I went to school and maybe I will not eat sometimes but I have to do it, especially for my daughter&!acute;  That determination was basically what made us accept her in the program, because we know she has very good reasons to work hard with the difficulties she may face.

Isabel is currently sponsored by a friend from Sacramento, California.  

Benjamín Carlos Garcíais a 31 year old K&'acute;iche speaker from the department of Totonicapán in the Western Highlands.  In 1999 he started at the university but was forced to quit before he completed the first year because of his economic situation. There are seven family members - a grandmother, two parents, his wife and two children . All totally depend on the low salary Benjamín receives as a substitute teacher and the $3 a day the father can make as a day laborer

Even though Benjamín&'acute;s family is one of our very poorest, both of his parents strongly support his desire to continue his education.  Participants in our Spring 2008 Tour were moved when they visited the family home in Totonicapán.  The simple adobe house, home to not only Benjamín and his parents, but also his wife, two children and grandmother, consists of one room with a dirt floor.  The tour group was greeted in the outdoor patio and later invited into the house to visit with the elderly grandmother.  All were impressed by this family. They live from day to day with no money left over for education but nevertheless totally support Benjamánís pursuit of a higher education. With our help, he will be able to achieve his goal and provide a better life for the family.

Benjamín has been sponsored since 2007 by the Evanston Monthly Meeting, IL.

Sponsor a Student

Since its inception, the scholarship/loan program has let donors sponsor individual students, if they wished. Now, through our web page, we hope to facilitate sponsorship of individual students and encourage you and others to do so.

Please consider commiting to help a particular student earn his or her university degree. When you agree to support a student, the program staff in Guatemala will consult with you if you have any preferences about your student (man, woman, career, etc.) and then select an appropriate student. Through periodical letters with your sponsored student, you will enjoy a personal connection while developing a greater understanding of the circumstances our students face in Guatemala.

Because of the low cost of living and the advantageous exchange rate of quetzales to the dollar, it costs about $100 a month or  $1200 a year to sponsor most of our students. If you can't afford to support a student entirely on your own, you can ask your meeting, religious group or a group of friends to jointly pay the pledged amount, or contact us about having a partial scholarship. You will receive photos and periodical reports from the staff in Guatemala about the progress of your student.

Please contact Progresa for further information:

email us at progresa3@gmail.com 

2a. Calle 2-19 Zona 2, Parramos,

Chimaltenango 04014, Guatemala

011-502-7849-5970