Plan Grande 2 Scholarship Program

THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Every year since 2000, our presbytery has sent a delegation to visit with our partners in Plan Grande 2 Nicaragua. Members from many GLPBY congregations have participated. We did not just decide on our own that getting kids to stay in school was the priority for the community. We engaged in conversations with the community leaders and together initiated the Scholarship Program in 2004. Initially there was no secondary school in the community which meant that students had to ride public transportation to a town 10km from PG2. Within a few years, the demand for a secondary school in the area grew – due in part to the increased enrollment enabled by the scholarship program. PG2 community leaders advocated for a local school and now students attend the 15 de Septiembre school within walking distance of their homes.

All decisions about the structure and parameters of the scholarship program are made together with the community leaders and our team. Students are required to meet academic standards that go beyond the minimum required by the school to be considered “passing”. The $200 annual scholarship is distributed by the leaders in PG2 to parents or other responsible adults in 2 installments during the school year. Generally, we support between 30 and 40 students a year. As of 2018 we have been blessed with over 80 graduates!

Many graduates remain in the area and work in whatever ways they can to contribute economically to their families. Some have moved away for construction work in Costa Rica or factory work in Esteli. Based on what we know from the leaders of PG2, it seems that about half of the graduates have continued their education in some way. We celebrate with the community that some young people have various careers including becoming teachers in rural Nicaragua.

To learn more about a fund-raiser for this scholarship program, click here.