The Scholarship Program for the school of Mount Carmel Mission was established by the Fondation Cuomo in the year 2004.

Until then most of the Kovalam students that graduated from Higher Secondary school (our top level of high school) could not afford university or other higher studies; at least 50 per cent of the youth went unemployed and were forced to return to the poverty of their villages.

Now the Foundation fully supports 54 students in their higher studies. 45 of them have been at the university for three years; 16 are second year university students and 16 are 2007 scholarship winners.

The Foundation, in choosing the candidates, uses a standard of judgement that includes merit, social status, families’ economic situation and following always the suggestions of the school master and of the parish priest.

The winners are Hindus (about 80 per cent) Muslims (about 12 per cent) and Catholics (about 8 per cent). These percentages vary from year to year. Some of the scholarship are sponsored by friends of the Foundation.

The scholarship covers all the costs necessary to attend university or other higher studies institution and living expenses for the students.

This college in the center of Chennai is attended by several hundred students who cannot afford normal university fees or do not have sufficient grades to qualify for higher studies.

The Cuomo Foundation supports 100 students of the Madras Community College.

This institution is supervised by Bishop Lawrence Pius of the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore and is run by Fr. Joseph Manickam of the same Diocese.

Sendivakkam scholarships program has begun in June 2007. For this first year, 12 scholarships have been granted to boys and girls of different religions who wish to continue their studies and progress.

La Fondation Cuomo is also taking care of sponsorship students in Europe qnd in particular in Monaco with the Monaco Red Cross.