Summit Educational Scholarship





Fund

Belize resident Eva Burgos dreams about someday creating a health center in memory of her daughter Emily, who died at the age of two. This would be a youth-friendly space where young people can meet with doctors and counselors, get free contraception, and access information about reproductive health. With help from the Summit Educational Scholarship Fund, which was established by the Summit Foundation for graduates of the International Health Programs (IHP)'s GOJoven project at PHI, Burgos is moving towards that goal.

Today she is completing her high school diploma at the Baptist School of Continuing Education in Belmopan, Belize. When she finishes school in June 2008, Burgos plans to work as a nurse at the Western Regional Hospital and start her bachelor's in social work at the University of the West Indies in Belize City.

A Summit scholarship of $4,800 "gave me the opportunity, the courage and the financing to get started on my educational goals," said Burgos. "The saying is true that knowledge is power--we can have a lot of experience but if we do not have the educational background, it can be very challenging to accomplish everything we want to do."

THE PROGRAM

The Summit Foundation established the Summit Educational Scholarship Fund in December 2006 exclusively for graduates of GOJoven, known also as the Youth Leadership in Sexual and Reproductive Health Program.

Through GOJoven, IHP trains and supports young leaders from the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health in their efforts to create social change at the community, national and regional levels. With the Summit Educational Scholarship Fund, IHP/PHI's goal is to complement GOJoven's mission by providing alumni ongoing support to further their educations.

THE SCHOLARS

Together with Burgos, four other young scholars are making educational strides in Central America and Mexico as a result of the Summit Educational Scholarship Fund: Khendis Ellis, Aide Ortiz, Roberto Flores and Esther Barajas.

Esther Barajas, 20, will receive $1,800 to begin her bachelor's in clinical psychology at the Universidad Mariano Galvez de Guatemala in Flores, Guatemala in February 2008. She postponed starting her bachelor's several times because she is her family's primary wage earner. However, she has been committed to improving her native Guatemala since the age of 15, when she started volunteering with the Red Cross. She is an active castmember of a radio program aimed at educating youth about reproductive health.

Roberto Flores is a middle school math teacher in Tela, Honduras. When teaching, he makes every effort to relate the math problems to real events and issues. For example, he incorporates pregnancy rates and HIV infection rates into math problems to raise awareness. He also teaches a weekend seminar on sexual and reproductive health. He will receive $3,500 to complete his bachelor's in math at the National Pedagogical University "Francisco Morazan" in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

With $9,200 from the scholarship fund, Aide Ortiz is working on a master's in family therapy at the Universidad del Mayab in Merida, Mexico. She expects to finish her degree in February 2010. After that, her goal is to form a non-governmental organization in Mexico that focuses on family planning.

Khendis Ellis (left) was the fund's first scholarship recipient. A high school English teacher from Belize who integrates sexual and reproductive health lessons into his classes, he will complete his bachelor's in education administration and international studies at Louisiana's Grambling State University. The scholarship has brought about dramatic changes in his life, he said. "It has made me 'step up to the plate' and put into practice what I have learned."

For more information about GOJoven, visit www.gojoven.org.