Alma would like to thank Ines and Xavier for thinking of Alma on their special day!
Ines and Xavier are both engineers and university graduates who value education. For this reason, they have decided to ask for your support in the Alma Alumni Program. The Alma Alumni Program provides financial support and mentorship to students in Peru wanting to attend University.
Alma Children’s Education Foundation
Alma Children’s Education Foundation is a grassroots organization in Canada that works to improve education for economically impoverished children in Latin America through projects that reinforce critical thinking, creativity, & analytical reasoning. Since 2009, Alma education projects have benefited over 5,000 children in Peru and Bolivia.
Alma Alumni Program
The Alma Foundation works in many communities and with various academic levels (pre-school, primary, and secondary) within the region of Cusco. In all of these communities, the children we work with live in situations of poverty and extreme poverty. Through our projects, we have worked with students who grow into young men and women with the ability to continue studying at the superior level. Unfortunately, many cannot continue their studies for a lack of economic security.
Therefore, the Alma Alumni project aims to help stand-out young men and women who have passed through our projects to study in university or technical institute by offering economic assistance in the form of housing and monthly tuition fees. Their parents cover the rest.
Furthermore, we recognize that for the success of our Alumni, we must not only focus on their academic needs but also on their personal needs in order to assure that the project participants are comfortable and safe in the city. Consequently, in addition to the academic development of our Alumni, we will work to ensure their positive personal development as well. Each participant will volunteer their time in a local social organization in order to: create a positive social network in the city of Cusco, promote positive social values, and prevent common problems that occur in the city (abuse of drugs/alcohol, early pregnancy, etc.)
Meet one of our students – Karina
Karina entered our program after graduating from the Colcha secondary school in January of 2015. Colcha is a remote community a few hours outside of Cusco. She entered the program with the intent on using the mentorship and financial aid to prepare for the University entrance exams.
Once accepted into our Alma Alumni Program, her parents and older siblings all told her it would be a waste of a year to prepare for university instead of entering a two year technical institute right away. Our Program Director Ian sat down with Karina and her family to explain the benefits of dreaming big and trying to enter university. They accepted and Karina worked hard through all of 2015 in the pre-university academy to prep for the exams.
Her first round of exams went poorly, and again she was told to give up and a two-year institute instead. Ian again told her that Alma was behind her. Thus, Karina continued studying and improving her practice exam scores. She spent long nights and early mornings pouring over her textbooks and workbooks. In the end, it paid off in a big way.
Karina, was accepted on a full scholarship to study Environmental Engineering at the University of Medellin in Colombia! Her acceptance in the government sponsored Beca 18 program meant that 100% of tuition, school supplies, travel, and room and board was covered for all five years of study. This accomplishment and acceptance was extra special because Karina had to overcome many doubters over the last year of preparation for the university and scholarship exams.
Karina arrived in April and continues to keep in contact with our Program Director Ian. Although she misses her family, she says she loves the university, her classes, and the city.
Thank you for supporting the Alma Alumni Program on behalf of Ines and Xavier!
If you would like to make a donation on behalf of Ines and Xavier, you can do so through our web page here. If you would prefer to donate by cheque or direct deposit, please email melanie@almafoundation.ca. She will send you the information you need to make your donation.