Scholarships

Fight against poverty: EDUCATION and INSTRUCTION, an essential right

Education and instruction are the cornerstones on which the development of a community rests. An educated population has the knowledge and tools to fight poverty and enter the job market, which also means participation in society, justice and human dignity.

Unfortunately, the right to education is still denied to disadvantaged families who cannot afford to pay school fees or the cost of transportation.

For ABBA, education is a priority, and in 2012 we finalized the Scholarships Program to help young people who, despite having the skills, would not have a chance to access a higher education, get a diploma or attend university.

Since 2012, 66 teenagers, and young people, have received a scholarship for a university or vocational training in Nicaragua, Brazil and India Andhra Pradesh.

Nicaragua: access to university comes straight from secondary school, so students are under a lot of pressure to adapt to the new style of teaching and very demanding subjects. Some of them have to go to the capital Managua, and for the first time they live outside the family during the week. The students are all followed and accompanied on a personal level, an important commitment that ABBA has made in collaboration with the local coordinator. Every year, exchange days are organised with all students.

Everyone is called upon to get involved in the community project, and they “return” in hours what they receive, supporting with their know-how those responsible for the various activities, as needed.

These are the sectors and careers chosen:

Accounting and finance • Law • Journalism • Tourist guide • Nursing care • Agronomy • Professional English • Current English • Mastery in construction • Marketing and advertising • Mechanics • Medicine • Dental technology • Pedagogy • Refrigeration and air conditioning • Tailoring • Medical sciences • Tourism and hotels

Brazil: two degrees in pedagogy thanks to financial support from our Scholarships, thanks to the accompaniment of Mr and Mrs Eisenhardt who are looking after Casa dos Curumins in São Paulo, and last but not least, thanks to the tenacity and perseverance of the two girls who were able to fulfil their dream of wearing the “tocco”, the graduates’ hat.

India, Andhra Pradesh: one scholarship for higher education to enter nursing school, and one for training as an accountant. Two young girls from troubled families, with excellent school results, despite the difficulties.

The long-awaited moment

The graduation day or the end of the training is always an important and moving event: for most of the students who benefit from our scholarships is a dream that they did not expect to see come true.

The awarding of diplomas is therefore a goal for the students but also for the donors who support us and who allow these goals to be achieved