It’s a great question. I hear it from donors all the time. “How do you decide which students receive a sponsorship?”
Truth is that we have to be selective because we have far more worthy students than we have sponsors. But this recent post on the PathLight website is a great explanation:
July 2011 Student Selection Process
This summer marks the fifth year that we have gone through the process of selecting students for our sponsorship program.
Just as our program takes a holistic approach in building the students academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually, our selection process is designed to look at much more than just test scores. We recognize that there are a variety of factors involved in helping a student to be successful in high school, and so in selecting our students, we want to be assured that the students are motivated, that they have the support of their parents, and that they are academically prepared.
During the spring of the students’ 8th grade year, they fill out an application which includes family information and family income. We ask them to write an essay for us talking about why they want to go to high school and how it will allow them to help their families and communities. These essays often reflect the strong desire that students have to gain an education. This year, for example, one student said that a sponsorship “will be the starting point of my dream” another young lady wrote “with my education, I plan to help my family in every aspect of life”.
One of our key tools in measuring an applicant’s academic potential is the PSE (Primary School Examination). The students must pass this 2-day comprehensive exam in order to be eligible for high school. We also look at the latest two years of report cards and seek recommendations and advice from their teachers and principals.
This year we started with nearly 40 applicants from three villages. Based on essays, recommendations, report cards and PSE scores, we selected 20 “finalists”. Each of those finalists and their parents were intereviewed by our Belizean staff. We interview the students to get a sense of their motivation and determination and we talk to the parents to ensure that they are equally determined to support and encourage their child through high school.
Ultimately we selected thirteen students, six from St. Margaret, four from Armenia and three from Cotton Tree. As always, we had to turn away some deserving, motivated children, but we are thrilled to be able to offer these thirteen young people the chance of a lifetime; a gift that they can never lose and one that will impact every aspect of their life.
Now we have to go to work to find sponsors! If you can sponsor a student, or want to share the cost of a sponsorship, or simply want to make a one-time gift to help a student achieve their dream, please click on this donate button, or contact us for more information. We’d be glad to help you make a difference!