"I received a scholarship to finish my last year of secondary school. After I graduated, I started working at a daycare center in my community. I worked for two years without studying so I could save money to begin at the university. But, the money I saved still wasn’t enough to cover all the costs. Then The Tandana Foundation offered me the great opportunity to have help with my university studies. They trusted in my ability and in my dreams, and because of this I will keep studying with so much dedication, effort, and lots of enthusiasm.”
-- Margarita from Ecuador
Tandana offers rural Ecuadorian students funding so that they can continue their secondary education. We support about 100 high school students each year. Although secondary education is theoretically free in Ecuador, and there is no tuition fee, there are many other costs such as books, school supplies, uniforms, bus fare, internet costs for doing homework, unexpected needs such as when everyone is required to bring money because the teacher is sick or when the classroom needs to be painted, or if they are going on a field trip.
Tandana also supports students in pursuing their professional dreams after they graduate from high school. Our post-secondary students are studying accounting, tourism, medicine, clothing design, auto mechanics, business administration, and other subjects so that they can become professionals who contribute their skills to their communities and society. In exchange for Tandana's support, post-secondary scholarship recipients engage in community service to share their new skills and knowledge for the betterment of their communities. Each student covers half of his or her costs, often by working during the week and attending weekend university programs, or sometimes through support from their families. Tandana covers the other half of expenses.
Our scholarship students in Ecuador often have a difficult transition from their small, rural elementary schools to their large secondary schools in the city. They have asked us to offer summer classes to help them with their most challenging subjects, English and math. Each summer, we offer five weeks of free classes in these subjects and others to about 60 students, including both scholarship recipients and others in the surrounding communities. Local teachers instruct in math, while our summer interns teach English and other subjects such as geography, art, history, and health. Sometimes our university scholarship students teach as well. To add to the educational experience, we take the students on field trips and arrange small service projects for them to participate in. The classes help reinforce their skills, catch up on concepts they missed in school, and prepare them to succeed in the upcoming academic year.
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Copyright 2006-2024, All Rights Reserved, The Tandana Foundation | 501(c)(3) non-profit | EIN: 20-4748423
2933 Lower Bellbrook Rd., Spring Valley, OH 45370 | (937) 862-0202 | info [at] tandanafoundation.org
