Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Diogenes, the Greek philosopher, said, “The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.”
In Volcanes, one of the poorer colonias of Puerto Vallarta, about 400 children voluntarily attend classes either before or after regular school every day. They and their marginalized parents know that education is the only way to a better life.
Before the Volcanes Kids Education Project (VKEP) started just over ten years ago, most of the children in Volcanes dropped out of school during their mid-teens. Hardly anyone finished high school, and a university education was as far away as the moon.
Ten years later, thanks to VKEP, hundreds of kids are following the school’s motto – “Go to school. Stay in school. Dream big.” They have dreamed big! In 2021 the first four students with VKEP scholarships graduated from university; a physician, a teacher, an architect and a nutritionist. Now thirty-five others are completing their university education and will soon take their place as professionals in the life of this community.
Donors to the VKEP scholarship program pay a small amount each year to support a student. $4,800MXN/year is the cost of a scholarship for a boy or girl in grades 7-9, $6,000MXN/year while in high school and $7,800MXN/year during university. It’s not much in American or Canadian dollars, but it makes a significant difference to the student’s life. The ripples that wash through the family and the community only widen as the child completes each year of their education.
The program helps the kids to help themselves. VKEP promises the students to help pay for their tuition, uniforms and school materials as long as they stay in school. In exchange, the student must maintain a G.P.A of 8.5 out of ten each year and must volunteer for the Volcanes community four hours a month.
In October, eighty-five scholarship checks were handed out, and VKEP’s target is to increase that number to one hundred by October 2022.
Information about children awaiting scholarships is available from Art Fumerton, the Director of VKEP at artfumerton(at)gmail.com. Art also takes interested people to the school in Volcanes on Wednesday afternoons at 2:00 pm. Just send him an email to make arrangements.
The International Friendship Club (IFC) has been supporting VKEP since its inception in 2011. During the Covid crisis last year, the school was closed and converted to a food bank, feeding as many as 500 families/month. IFC was a significant donor to that too.
In the “years before Covid”, IFC supported over twenty different programs and charities annually. However, during the pandemic, the club’s financial resources and sources of income have been seriously depleted. Tax-deductible donations to IFC will enable it to help all its charities. Please visit ifcvallarta.org. Your help will be much appreciated.
“Wealth is not to feed our egos, but to feed the hungry and to help people help themselves.” – Andrew Carnegie.
Well said!
Written by John Warren of the International Friendship Club.
The International Friendship Club is a registered charitable organization in Mexico listed as Club Internacional de la Amistad de Puerto Vallarta A.C. It is located at the northeast corner of the Rio Cuale Bridge above the HSBC Bank, Colonia El Centro, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, 48300. Phone: 322-222-5466. Website: ifcvallarta.org Email: info(at)ifcvallarta.org