Over ONE BILLION people are living on less than a dollar a day.
Upon interviewing many members of the community we are currently serving, we found that the average weekly earnings were $300-$600 Mexican pesos, equivalent to $19.84- $39.68 USD
This adds up to about $80-160 USD a month.
Despite the obvious differences in living wages expenses for things such as electronics, furniture, books, backpacks, and meat are nearly the same as they are in the U.S.
In 2002, 45 percent of rural households were poor and half of them were extremely poor, with incomes amounting to less than the cost of a basic food basket, a conventional measure of minimum nutritional needs.ª
Leaving many families with the difficult choice of putting food on the table for their children or sending them to school.
The estimated cost of books, schools supplies (backpacks, notebooks, pens, paper etc,), attendance fees, uniforms and other miscellaneous educational expenses is about $1970.00 Mexican pesos ($130 USD). Well over the monthly income of most of these families.
Our strategy is simple.....
Provide deserving students with the necessary supplies to further their education. Awards are given to students both on a need and merit based system; students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA to receive continued support.
Each backpack will include the required materials and supplies specific to both their grade level and school. This includes, but is not limited to, notebooks, pens, pencils, calculators, school uniforms and many other general school supplies.
Your donations would be helping alleviate the cost of education that for many families is unattainable thus empowering communities of future difference makers working towards a better life for themselves and humankind as a whole.