The Last Round of Scholarships Given for 2024!

We gave out 48 scholarships this year, which is a new record!

Waiting to check out at the supply store La Regalia in Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia.

The first of the scholarships was given to the students living in or close to Leticia.  The water level was so low that it made river travel from the village of La Libertad difficult.  These students completed their shopping in late August.

Maide, one of our first scholarship students.  She has graduated and will pass her scholarship to her younger sister next year.

The second shopping trip was in late September.  This trip included the village students in the scholarship program the previous year.  We rented a 35-foot wooden boat from the neighboring community, Puerto Triunfo.  We thought this would work out well, as we didn't have good access to the river from La Libertad.  Unfortunately, the boat was in poor repair.  Water entered the boat during the trip, making it difficult to bail it quickly enough to avoid soaking people.

As a result of this trip, we decided to build our own cargo boat to transport students and building supplies.  This presented several other issues, which we hope to cover in a future blog post.

Three of our students.  Two of them missed much school during the pandemic.  The scholarship program provides a strong incentive for them to return to classes.

Two of our Letician students.  They go to school in Leticia and spend some weekends and holidays in La Libertad.

Leslie and her father.  This is her first year in the program.  She is entering kindergarten.

A brother and sister in the scholarship program.  They live on a raft in the harbor of Leticia and attend school in the city.

Cristian with his parents.  They are in the store El Remate, in Leticia.

Our director waiting for the students to bring their items to the cashier.  All funds are handled by designated people.  All receipts are saved and serve as proof of the purchases.

Camilo, a teacher in the village school, with his son, who is in the scholarship program.

Nicol waiting to see if they have the clothing in her size.

In this photo, most of the kids are finished shopping.  In all, it takes about three hours for the group to finish.  When everyone has returned, we go back upriver.  The trip starts at 5:30 in the morning; by the time they get back to the village, it is usually around 4 pm.

Our newest scholarship students did their shopping in December after they left on school vacation.

The time during the pandemic was exceptionally difficult for our students in the scholarship program.  The schools closed between one and three years due to health regulations, troubled construction projects, and mismanagement.  During the pandemic, one of the education department's solutions was to have the teachers deliver class instruction by cell phone text or instant messaging apps.  As almost none of our students had cell phones, or internet, or cell phone service, and at times, no electricity, this did not work.  At least 10 students left school and the scholarship program during this time.

This blog post ends with a picture of hope.  One of our scholarship students, who has been in the program for four years, graduated from school and has been accepted into a police academy training program.  This is precisely what we want the scholarship program to achieve!

Thank you to all our sponsors who helped make this program a success!

Would you like to sponsor a student during 2025?  Our scholarship donation page is now open.