San Salvador, 20 de agosto de 2021
Dear Friends,
We are grateful to many of you who support CIS
scholarship and leadership development program through your church, community
organization, foundation, academic institution, or directly to CIS. It is truly a miracle that students who are
the first in their family and are from communities where no one had ever gone
to university are graduating and making up the 4.6% of students in El Salvador
who earn a university degree. It is truly transforming lives, families, and
communities. I am asking you to
give a special one-time contribution to expand our student housing program so
that those most in need can graduate from university and bring their families
out of poverty and become empowered leaders to work for change.
Many students cannot travel back and forth to
their community to university each day because of distance, expense, and
security. We do not have sufficient
space for the demand for students who need housing closer to the
university. As plans for opening the
universities to classroom learning, many new students have requested to enter
already overflowing small apartments.
The overcrowding was lessened by the pandemic as some students were able
to go home and study with CIS provided computers and internet. Still, some stayed in CIS dormitories due to extremely
inadequate internet connections in their village. We want to prepare for the
2022 cycle to have space for students to live and study. For
this reason, we are asking you for a one-time investment for the CIS to acquire
an additional apartment for university scholarship students.
Our goal is to raise $ 80,000 to purchase and
apartment that could house 10 University Scholarship Students. This is to purchase a spacious apartment in a
secure area by the end of the year.
·
If
10 people committed to sponsor student housing for their 6 years at university,
we would raise $6,000 x 10 = $60,000
·
If
20 people committed $1,000 or the equivalent of one year of a room rental, we
would have the remaining $20,000 needed.
Consider
the impact in making your decision to donate to this important investment:
·
One
student pays and average of $1,000 to rent a room in the vicinity of the
university for one year.
·
$6,000
would be the expense for one student to rent a room for the 6 years of his/her
university career.
·
Currently,
renting an apartment where 8 students could live in the area would cost between
$5,000 - $7,200 per year which brings the cost down from renting an individual
room. Still investing in real estate
provides long-term stability.
·
Students
pay for the water, electricity, and internet.
They also pool funds for meals.
They would spend more a bus fare if they had to travel each day, and so
have more funds available for their studies.
It also means CIS does not have added expenses after the purchase of
real estate and students learn economic responsibility.
·
The
student apartments are a new learning experience for students. Students learn to live in community with
shared space, rules, and respect. Many
Salvadoran males learn to cook and clean for the first time.
·
CIS
goal is to raise funds between now and the end of the year to have a space
decided on for January 2022 semester.
·
The most economically marginalized students cannot afford to study with
the CIS scholarships without support for housing as well.
CIS currently subsidizes student housing in
different manners: we own two apartments in San Salvador
purchased in 2017 and 2018. Sister
relations pay for rental in San Salvador, San Miguel, and San Rafael
Cedros. Cinquera students receive a
larger monthly scholarship to pay for an apartment in San Salvador. Other students stay with relatives or travel
back and forth each day. Sixty-four
of over 200 CIS university scholarship students rely on subsidized housing in
addition to scholarships to be able to study. Students from the following
communities have benefitted: San Pedro Perulapan, Suchitoto, San José Palo
Grande Isla Tasajera, Isla El Espíritu Santo, Estanzuelas, Llano Largo, Ita
Maura, San Pablo Tacachico, Comasagua, Tamanique, Distrito Italia, Comunidad
Ellacuria, Cinquera, and San Rafael Cedros.
Please consider a generous contribution to CIS
general Scholarship Fund with a donation earmarked for student housing. I am asking you to consider donation between
$6,000 and $1,000 which would cover the equivalent of housing for a student
throughout their university career or for one year. Your contribution will multiply because it
will provide housing even after a student graduates to a new student if we
purchase instead of rent an apartment.
Of course, no donation is too big or too small. Below is the information or please contact
me if you need more information.
In Solidarity,
Leslie Schuld, CIS Director, LOS OLIVOS CIS Legal Representative in
El Salvador
How to donate: Tax
deductible donations can be made payable to and mailed to:
Los Olivos CIS (in U.S. dollars) / PO Box 76 / Westmont, IL 60559-0076, USA.
Debit/credit card donations can be made online:
https://www.cis-elsalvador.org/donate
PLEASE NOTE YOUTH
SCHOLARSHIP AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR ONLINE DONATIONS WITH A NOTE –
STUDENT HOUSING OR EARMARK YOUR CHECK.
For more information:
Toll free
number in U.S.: 1-866-887-2665: El
Salvador: ++ 503-2226-5362
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