Education is the best way out of poverty – but for some, it’s unattainable without help.

Did you know that the majority of children in garbage dump communities will drop out of school before they reach the 7th grade? This is not something that they do by choice: the students and former students that we’ve talked to have told us how desperately they want to learn. But these kids have to leave school to work in the dumpsites alongside their parents, care for younger siblings or ailing relatives, or even have to leave school simply because tuition fees or the cost of getting to school is too high. Many children sacrifice their chance to go to school to encourage a younger sibling to stay in school as well, getting a job and using their earnings to help their siblings do what they couldn’t.

We don’t think that this is an acceptable reality. Children with the desire to learn should have the opportunity to do so. That’s why International Samaritan created the Paso a Paso scholarship program. For the last decade, we have been providing student support aimed at removing all barriers between students and staying in school, not just paying tuition fees. Our scholarships start at the early childhood level and go through college and trade school.