THE SPIRIT PLEDGE TO SPONSORS:
All of the scholarship money goes to the girls.
There are no USA overheads, other than the annual service cost of this website. In Guatemala, we pay our housemother/cook/guard and the on site English teacher.
SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
PURPOSE & FUNDING
For each qualified applicant, Spirit must provide a sponsor for each girl so she can be accepted into the program. The annual $650 that sponsors pay is for the housemother’s wages, English teacher’s wages, utilities and maintenance, internet, an increasing percentage of the girl’s food (for many 100%), English program books, equipment and supplies and a myriad of other expenses.
We always closely calculate the upcoming year’s cost to provide the scholarship basics. With the falling dollar and Guatemalan inflation, this is often difficult to predict.
Other needs are funded through donations. Please review our donation page.
So, this is an effort from many people to make a difference in girl’s lives. ALL MONEY from these various resources goes 100% to benefit the girls. We do not have a corporate office or corporate salaries. The downside is that donors must accept we do not have a staff or funding for promotion and frequent mailings. Our focus is on providing excellent opportunities for as little as possible.
OUR FAMILIES’ INCOMES
Our objective is to eliminate families who can afford education, but prefer that their girls be a part of Spirit’s English program or want us to pay for their daughter’s education. We need to determine the level of support needed. The income range of our families is from $20 to $250 with 3-12 family members living together.80% of Guatemalans suffer from malnutrition. Ours families are in this group
- They lose infant teeth by 4 years and adult teeth by 15 years
- It is a huge family financial sacrifice to attend high school.
- Parents and older siblings earn $2.50-4.00 per day, when they can work.
- There is no job security, rarely medical work benefits and very little social security to a few.
- Most things cost more than in the USA.
THEIR FAMILY HOMES:
are single room to several tiny rooms. Dirt floors to cement floors. Cement block to a few scraps of lumber and sheet metal. No interior plumbing, sporadic running village water or a well.
GODPARENT / GODFAMILY or GODGROUP ANGELS
The daughters of the poor are often regretted because they are girls. The Spirit girls need love, hope, opportunity and respect. One of the ways we do that is through scholarships. When they are chosen by an American Angel, they see themselves differently. The girls write it is wonderful to know that someone, without knowing them or having the obligation, cares and believes in them. Your gift has tremendous impact in validating young women who often grow up hearing how worthless they are. If you believe in them, they can start believing in themselves.
We hope you will have a desire to make a difference in the life of a girl and provide a scholarship for one today.
YOUR COMMITMENT
We would like to have a 1 to 1.5 year commitment from our Godparent Angels to allow our girls to complete their education.
AM I THE ONLY SPONSOR FOR “MY” GIRL?
Yes, Spirit assigns only one sponsor per girl. Godparents can be individuals, families or groups that you organize. You will receive monthly emails from your girl. This will allow you to share in your girl’s dreams and successes, as well as reinforce their need to learn English.
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Giving a gift where most needed is a great way to provide help to some of the world’s most vulnerable girls. Your gift to Spirit Education Foundation’s general fund allows us to respond to additional needs of our girls- English reading books, computers and computer programs, medical care, shipping for donations of clothes, shoes, dental supplies, etc.
Send an amount that is right for you and help us change the future of our girls.