BREAKING THE CHAINS OF POVERTY THROUGH EDUCATION
We have been following the growth and development of four students over the years as they attended I.T.D.F. Mah Oh Jo Elementary School, a Christian school founded by Integrated Tribal Development Foundation. These aspiring individuals are most eager to begin the next part of their educational career as they become the first ever to go on to college from their own villages.
The students (Cha Kue, Pa Bek, Sar Porn, and Pa Loi) graduated 6th grade from the K-6th Mah Oh Jo Elementary School. They continued their education through a financial sponsorship provided by I.T.D.F. These students would not have had the opportunity to advance their education without the support of donors to meet the financial means necessary to allow them a brighter future. They attended a government middle school in Huay Nam Khaow, while staying in a Christian hostel (due to the distance from their home village). Upon graduating, they moved on to government high school in Ban Mai with continued sponsorship through I.T.D.F. We are excited to hear of their graduation last month.
Currently, they will be taking an exam to get into what is the equivalent of a junior college and upon graduation will receive their diploma. Upon maintaining good grades during this time, they have a better chance to get into the next three year technical and vocational colleges. The first two years is academic learning in their field to gain knowledge. The third year is hands on experience with a company, like an internship, in which they gain valuable hands on experience.
Their desire and passion to be the best will take them far and a greater chance of getting hired on upon their graduation.
Some of these students already had an opportunity in their 11th grade to be involved in a vocational program and learn alongside a company that was of their particular career interests or allow them to explore their options. In order to participate in this program, their attendance and grades needed to be maintained to a high level of standard. It was a great opportunity to gain hands on experience while trying to decide if that is something they would want to move on to in their educational and career goals.
Although they are so very excited to move on to higher education, their reality and fear is that they and their families will be navigating uncharted territories of the cost of higher education with an already challenging poverty level amongst themselves daily. We are most excited and eager to come alongside these families to help them build a brighter future for their own children. It is our genuine desire to empower these passionate aspiring leaders, who we once knew as young boys and girls.
Through teachers, parents, and others like yourselves, who recognize the importance of higher education and the potential in these four aspiring college students, we want to bring their dreams into realities. We would love to invite you to be part of this exciting journey with us and get to know these students and play an integral part of their opportunity to become leaders amongst each other, their families and their villages.
We know that higher education leads to less poverty in the future for the individual, the family and the community. It is a win win! Will you prayerfully consider how you might like to partner with us in providing a college education to these students?
I.T.D.F. is asking for help to send these 4 individuals to college and the starting total they are needing to raise is $10,000 or $2,500 per student for their 1st year of schooling.
