marzo 13, 2017
Yes, of course it is! A good education is likely the only way for our sponsor children to rise up from poverty.
But, it’s not as easy as simply staying in school. There are obstacles beyond financial issues that stand in the way of our kids getting ahead merely through the virtue of school attendance, and these problems need to be acknowledged and discussed.
Graduating From High School (or the equivalent) Might Not Be Enough
Just like in the United States, a basic education isn’t likely to get a person any further than working behind a counter in a fast food restaurant. I’m not saying that our kids should drop out of school if college isn’t a possibly - not at all. Education is valuable in and of itself, even if it doesn’t lead to an awesome job. The very act of learning keeps the brain sharp, teaches problem-solving skills, and exposes a person to new and useful ideas. I would always encourage a kid to stay in school for those reasons alone…but I’m also supportive of my sponsor kids dropping out early to take vocational training or to start working in a family business or another available field. It’s good to be realistic about how you will support yourself and your family as an adult.
Higher Learning is Hard!
Graduating from a university with a degree is the surest way for our kids to break the bonds of poverty, but just having a sponsor who can afford to pay their college tuition may not be enough. Even with financial help, our children may not be academically equipped to face the challenge of attending a university in their country. I’m not saying our kids are dumb, but we have to realize that they may not have the advantages of a quality learning environment. At home, they might be forced to study in a poorly lit multi-purpose room with no table for their books and a bunch of younger children running around. Their parents may not be able to help if they have questions about what they are learning. The schools they attend very possibly have low educational standards. In my experience, many, many schools - particularly government run schools - are underfunded, lack resources, and have undertrained staff or staff who don’t really care. I used to teach 5th grade at a well-reputed private school in Karachi, Pakistan, and the place was awful! Case in point - I taught there. I was 20 years old and had no teaching degree.
The Jobs Have to be Available
The job market is not strong in many of the countries where CI works. One of my sponsor families in Honduras sacrificed to put their smartest son through business school. His education was supposed to be the family’s salvation after the father died, but although he graduated with high marks, Jimi has been unable to find employment. He moved to the city and is just scraping by while he searches for a job, but businesses only want to hire applicants who can speak English.
Note: It might be worth talking to your child and CI about the possibility of English lessons!
Leaving Your Community is Scary!
Poverty is difficult, but so is living in isolation. A lot of our kids have grown up in rural areas where they are surrounded by family, but where their options for lucrative employment are slim to none. In order to make real money, they would have to leave the security of everything they know to first attend university and then to relocate to an area where jobs are available. In more industrialized countries, making the transition from childhood to self-supporting adulthood is a lot easier because the change in lifestyle isn’t so drastic. Also, most of us in North America and Europe either don’t live within a close-knit community, or, if we do, it’s a community that we don’t have to leave in order to have a secure financial future. Having visited all of my sponsored kids, I can see that there are some of them who will be unlikely to venture far from the family farm or business, even if that means living out their lives in poverty. (Personally, I’m glad for this, because I can’t afford college tuition and I feel guilty about that with some of my kids!)
I’m not writing any of this to sound discouraging. Many of you will and do have graduated sponsor kids who attend universities or professional programs and perform very well. Higher education does work out for many kids, and these kids should be supported and encouraged. Even those of us who don’t have the financial security to pay for our children’s college tuition might still have sponsor kids who are able to attend a university through other means - for example, many governments offer free education to young people who test highly enough to qualify for admission. Many of our kids have dreams and goals that drive them to succeed, which is wonderful, but I don’t think less of those kids who are less ambitious.
I am talking about all of this in the wake of visiting my two 16-year-old girls in Guatemala, both of whom have chosen to stop attending school.
Magda has expressed interest in the past of being either a nurse or a secretary, but has since decided that continuing her education will not be useful for her, despite receiving financial support from the sponsorship community (I will be contacting donors individually to discuss alternate uses for their contributions). Right now, Magda and her older sister alternate between earning money working on a farm and staying home to care for the younger children in the extended family. Magda lives in a very remote area, far even from a drivable road, and in a community made up almost entirely of relatives. None of them seem to leave the land they’ve occupied apparently for generations. Obviously, I would support Magda if she chose to be a black sheep and leave her community, but I also understand how comfortable she feels there. I suppose she’ll have to leave her family if she decides to marry, but probably only to another nearby community.
Odilia has also quit school, but she lives closer to the CI community center and has remained active in their program for teens. I didn’t get a clear idea of what she does with them exactly, but she’s excited about the program and finds it very fulfilling. Like with Magda, a traditional career would not be possible for Odilia unless she were to leave her family unit. There are very few businesses in Patulul, and the ones that exist are probably family-run and unlikely to hire outside workers.
That’s all I have to say on this subject. We talk a lot on MSC about helping our kids get educated, but I’d like to hear people’s opinions on our kids NOT pursuing an education.
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