Our new campaign - It Only Takes Ten - will educate 90 new students in Sri Lanka through our non-profit organization - Educate Lanka. With our goal of $10,800, we will be able to provide $10 monthly scholarships to 90 deserving students, increasing the total number of students we have funded to nearly 500! Remember, $10 will provide an entire month of education to a deserving underprivileged student, providing an opportunity to rise out of poverty and hope for a better future.
In Sri Lanka, nearly 1 million students live in poverty, forcing nearly 200,000 to drop out of school every year (UNESCO). Although public education is offered "free" by the government, the basic educational expenses such as school supplies, transportation, boarding, stationery, books, and even uniforms must be paid for by students. As a result, the nation loses the vital service and contribution of high-potential underprivileged students who fail to gain access to the education they deserve.
We provide micro-scholarships to high-potential underprivileged students through a unique online platform that leverages the financial and knowledge resources of generous donors from around the world. We provide these donors a peer-to-peer platform to select their students whose education they like to underwrite through $10-$25 monthly scholarships. Operating on 100% voluntary basis, we have so far funded the long-term education of over 350 deserving students with $150,000 in micro-scholarships.
With our goal of $10,000, we will educate 90 additional students next year, giving them an opportunity to rise out of poverty. Every student we support will get an opportunity to make a difference not only in their own lives, but also in the lives of their families and communities. The project will also provide the base for our five year plan, through which we will educate 7,000 students by 2017, eventually transforming the lives of nearly 30,000 through the positive ripple effect of education.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
