Educational assistance has long-term benefits for its recipients
In some of the world’s poorest countries, governments and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) carry out educational assistance in many ways—through scholarships, the provision of school uniforms, school supplies and project materials, transportation subsidy, board and lodging, etc. Even private organizations, big businesses, and schools and universities themselves grant scholarships to deserving students from poor families.
These interventions are implemented not only to help poor families defray educational costs, but also to recognize the aspiration of parents for their children to complete tertiary level (academic or vocational) in school as a means to rise from poverty. Parents put a premium on education. They believe graduates gain not only enhanced opportunities for gainful employment, but also the confidence and courage in their journey through life.
In the NGO world, after a year in a poor community for purposes of immersion, social investigation, integration, etc., a frontline NGO worker would already have a clear idea of the issues (development and otherwise) affecting the community or a section of it, and their causes and effects; the community’s prominent people and why they are politically and economically powerful for a long time; the types of interest groups to develop for future collective actions; the community’s natural disaster history, and those caused by human action; gender issues and how they are resolved, and by whom; human rights violated, how they are tackled, and by whom; how a community responds to disaster; how to build/strengthen community/interest groups; who in the local government unit (community and town level) and which government agencies will be involved in future collective actions; issues to prioritize and address; program strategies to adopt, and types of programs/projects to implement.
After three years or more of implementing projects, an NGO worker or an NGO itself is challenged to find out what progress has been made toward the achievement of program goals and objectives and how to measure it, and what types of community groups will be able to sustain the benefits of programs or projects, to what extent, and how, in case funding stops.
After another three years, a frontline NGO worker would have realized that family recipients of educational assistance in the form of a scholarship at the tertiary level (college or vocational) would have an economically secure future. Education is the key to a better life. Other interventions are only key holders. This is the time when recipients of educational assistance would have graduated from their technical or degree courses, found gainful employment, engaged in business, etc. Thus, this is the time a frontline NGO worker can confirm that the result of the educational assistance project is sustainable. The recipients of the educational assistance are the evidence themselves to demonstrate the project’s outcome or impact. Of course, other interventions like cash transfer or cash/food for work allow families to overcome financial shocks, but not for long.
Every community with families who are afforded educational assistance, particularly scholarships, by an NGO has a success story to tell. Recipients of educational assistance become professionals, private or government employees, NGO workers, entrepreneurs, overseas workers, political leaders, among others with gainful activities. In short, not a few girls and boys have escaped poverty unlike their parents and forebears.
It is obvious that the benefits of educational assistance are long-term. There is no doubt about its contribution to the personal and professional development of its indigent recipients. This is on top of being able to decide for oneself and having more options and control over one’s life.
Nono Felix,
