This explains the new Casa Para Ninos Del Pacifico Scholarship Program:The kids
attend their regular neighbourhood school in the am or pm and then attend Casa Para Ninos del Pacifico am or pm shift. The kids are selected and recommended by their neighbourhood school principal. Criteria being from minimal income families and achieving high marks. 8 points out of 10 minimum. Once they are referred to the Casa Para Ninos the families are interviewed and the social worker visits their home. Once accepted into the program they must maintain that 8 point grade average to remain. We can only accept 120 kids in total. They start in grade 2 and go through grade 6. Some join the program after grade 2 some later.
They are taught english, computers and values and ethics. Morning kids receive breakfast and their main meal and the afternoon kids their main meal and a snack. There is extra support via donations for school supplies, uniforms, and whatever else comes up. They have access to a social worker daily and if required a psychologist.We have a local scholarship program called Ninos Adelante that provides scholarships to kids once they reach grade 8 however it is full. We learned that there were actually cases of kids not attending grade 7 because without the extra support they could not afford to attend. These kids are really bright and it seemed criminal that they could not continue their education, hence the current program was born.Our goal is to provide scholarships 500 pesos per month for 11 months and 1000 pesos for August when they need to purchase their uniforms. The social worker on staff monitors their progress, they email their sponsors regulary with tidbits about their life, marks etc. when they come to Casa Para Ninos for their funds each month. We want the kids to build a relationship with their sponsors, it has more impact when someone other than their parents cares about them.The social worker knows these kids really well because she has watched them grow up so she will recognize issues and they are comfortable talking to her when there need to. We graduate on average 25 kids each year but we decided to go big or stay at home and connect last years kids as well as this years graduates with sponsors.We are well on our way, everyone loves the program and the school. 100 % of the scholarship funds go to the child, the school will absorb any admin costs via a room tax at Pacifica Resort who originally founded the school 15 years ago.If you have any further questions, please email me and I will answer as best I can.We have profiles of children we can send out if you are not in the area. If you are we can take you to the school and meet the kids personally.We are also involved with Ninos Adelante another Scholarship Program but it is full for the next while hence we startd our own. Their website is:Friendsofninosadelante.orgThis is an old article written about the program years ago but worth the read:
Niños Adelante – Children Forward
“Even the smallest thought counts. Boxes of pencils, pens, colors, old school books…everything is put to good use.”
—-K.L. Moore–
Sunday March 12th, Kate and Andrew, the owners of Nirvana Sailing Tours and their friends John and Yvette (Speedy) hosted a fund-raiser for Niños Adelante. People came costumed in their Age of Aquarius costumes and danced and drank till the wee hours. It was a great party, but the most important aspect of the night was the fact that over $3000 pesos was raised. What is Niños Adelante and how can you be involved?
In Mexico an education is free up to the 6th grade, after that the cost is $200 pesos per year, per child. This may seem like a small sum, but to some Mexican families, it is quite expensive. Niños Adelante (Children Forward) is a non-profit organization founded in 1978 by some local ex-patriots who saw a need and acted on it. Through sponsorship and donations, the group provides children the opportunity to continue their education through high school. Run by volunteers here and by a Zihuatanejo man, José Bustos, all funds go directly to the kids. They are selected based on their need, desire, performance and grade point average (They must maintain an 8.0 out of a possible 10.0 GPA). There are two donor classifications, Sponsors and Non-Sponsors. A sponsor is a person who commits to one or more children for a year or more. Sponsors are asked to make a contribution of $300 dollars per child. Many chose to support more than one child. And some people take a vested interest by donating enough money to support the child until their education is complete. A non-sponsor is a person who makes a donation of money or supplies. And supplies are greatly needed here. School supplies, books, musical instruments, paper, clothes, educational videos, small calculators and more, are wonderful things to bring if you are coming down on vacation and would like to help. Even the smallest thought counts. Boxes of pencils, pens, colors, old school books…everything is put to good use.
One of the most interesting aspects of this charity organization is that the sponsorship money goes directly to the children. They have to pay their own tuition, buy their own supplies, uniforms and other needed items. This not only puts the money in hand, it also teaches the child the value of money and how to take responsibility for it.
Niños Adelante is a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization and is recognized by the Mexican government.
There are people who, through their sponsorships, have become part of the families, attending baptisms, birthdays and most importantly, graduations. If you would like to be a part of the community like some of these folks, please take an action. The reward is not just a tax write-off, but the knowledge that a child will have a better chance.
March 2000