| Sponsorship Program |
What is our sponsorship program ?Besides having financed the construction of various schools buildings in villages where they were greatly needed, the Cuomo Foundation is also engaged in a sponsorship program. This program entails taking charge of college expenses (including fees, transport and living expenses) for students who have completed their high school courses. In many cases, a high school degree is not sufficient for a student to find a decent job. Many young high school graduates, especially girls, are forced to return to their villages where they can find only menial jobs. A college degree is definitively a solution to this problem. The sponsorship program is very important especially in poor areas where neither the students nor their families have the means to pay for a college education. We believe that, through the education of their children, also families will develop and the general economic situation will improve.
How to become a sponsor ?Each year the Cuomo Foundation chooses a certain number of students who have attended the last year of high school (in India, 12th Standard or Higher Secondary) in the various institutes that the Foundation has built and supports. The candidates are selected on merit but their families' economic situation is also taken into account. Neither religion nor sex influence the choice of candidates. The selected students are awarded a three-year (exceptionally four years) grant (scholarship) that will allow them to attend colleges of their choice. The amount of each scholarship is USD $ 850 per year. We have calculated that this sum is the indispensable minimum necessary for the young people to afford their university fees, books, travel and living expenses. For the academic year 2007/2008 the Foundation is supporting 70 students in various colleges. If you wish to sponsor one of our students, you can send your contribution by credit card or bank transfer. The Foundation will then provide the name of the student, his/her photograph, address and family details. It is important that the sponsor corresponds in English (by mail or e-mail) with the sponsored student at least twice a year. Our students are instructed to respond promptly (sometimes they answer 'not-so-promptly') and our local instructors will help them if they have language problems. The Foundation encourages the sponsors to visit the students and to establish with them a direct relationship which we are sure will benefit both the sponsored and the sponsor.
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