Category: Education

Transita smiles in welcome outside her home.

Education, Guatemala, Sponsor a child, Unbound

Apr 7 2018

‘I will fight for my dreams’

Transita smiles in welcome outside her home.

By Jordan Kimbrell, writer/editor

I recently had a conversation with my grandmother about dreams. We talked about how sometimes they evolve as we mature, or even fade away to be replaced by new ones. I once dreamed of becoming a professional actress (I even started out as a theater major), but anyone who had seen me as a child with my nose constantly in a book wouldn’t be surprised to learn my dream had changed and I ended up as a writer/editor.

What is true of most dreams is that, for them to become reality, they require hard work. For me that meant going back to get my master’s. Luckily, I received a teaching assistantship and had access to student loans to make my educational dreams a reality. But these resources aren’t always available in places where Unbound works, and even with an Unbound sponsorship, once a student reaches upper levels of education the cost may be more than she can afford.

That was the reality Transita, 26, in Guatemala faced when she graduated high school in 2013. She’s been sponsored since 2003, but the many expenses that go along with college were simply more than the sponsorship could help with.
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Education, Get involved, Unbound

Feb 17 2018

Unbound-loving yoga teacher stretches for education

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: Maureen Lunn and Andrew Kling, Unbound’s director of community outreach and media relations, wear Trailblazer t-shirts while doing yoga.

: Maureen holds her yoga teaching certificate. She used her progress toward her certificate as a way to raise funds for Unbound’s scholarship program.

By Maureen Lunn, contributing writer and Unbound Trailblazer

When I learned about the Unbound Trailblazers, my first thought was, “That sounds really cool. Too bad I hate running.”

I quickly learned that you don’t have to be a runner, walker or competitor to participate in Trailblazers, which is a worldwide team of Unbound sponsors and supporters who challenge poverty by raising money through athletics.

Still, I didn’t know how I could participate (but I really wanted that cool teal Trailblazers shirt). Then it finally hit me — yoga! I’d been practicing yoga for more than a decade and was about to graduate from a year-long yoga teacher training program. Trailblazers would create a perfect platform to request graduation gifts from my friends and family in the form of donations to Unbound.
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Education, El Salvador, Sponsor a child, Unbound

Feb 3 2018

A home in the hills, a school in the city

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Sandra, a sponsored youth and Unbound scholar in El Salvador, logs many miles in her pursuit of an education. Her tenacity is serving her well as she makes steady progress toward a degree in English literature.

This is the fourth and final post in a series of stories focusing on the challenges of finding adequate, affordable housing in the economically developing world. It is told through photographs and originally appeared in the Winter 2017 edition of our print publication Living Unbound.

By Henry Flores, communications liaisons director

Poverty limits the creation of dreams, blocks visualization of goals and buries hopes. But poverty isn’t something everybody experiences in the same way. It’s an individual, personal and intricate problem.

Some people face a lack of decent housing, while others have a hard time getting to school or just can’t pay for their next meal. The time and energy they spend on finding ways to solve their daily struggles takes away from the time, vision and resources they need to build a better future.

Sandra, 23, always dreamed of attending college. Her father, a coffee farmworker, and her mother, who works as a cook, barely earn enough to cover the needs of their family of five, and providing a college education for Sandra wasn’t a possibility.
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Education, Sponsor a child, Tanzania, Unbound

Dec 30 2017

Words to live by

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Donald in Tanzania smiles as he holds a saxophone, his favorite musical instrument.

In our last post of 2017, we bring you the story of a young man in Tanzania who inspired Unbound staff with his talent, determination and wisdom. We thought his story might also inspire you, our readers, and give you encouragement as you start the new year.

The meeting was in full swing as staff from Unbound programs in four East African countries packed a hotel conference room in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Some jotted notes from a presentation that just wrapped up, while most milled about talking with colleagues before the start of the next session.

The din in the room was silenced, abruptly, by the raspy sounds of a musical instrument, a saxophone emitting a familiar tune, the American pop song “I Will Always Love You,” written by Dolly Parton and recorded by Dolly and by Whitney Houston, among others.

The young man playing the tune at a podium up front was Donald, a 21-year-old arts student from the Dar es Salaam area. His rendition, though imperfect, was soulful and captivated the room.
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Colombia, Education, Sponsor a child, Unbound

Dec 16 2017

‘Education is a way of overcoming poverty’

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Daniela, an Unbound scholar in Colombia, enjoys the view of Medellin from the local Unbound office. She’s sponsored by Tom and Beth in Kansas.

The conflict and violence that afflicted Medellin, Colombia, until the mid-1990s are well known. Many still think of Medellin as a dangerous area, but the people of Colombia are dedicated to showing the world that they live in a place that’s very different from the perceptions of many — a place of progress, hope and light.

Seventeen-year-old Unbound scholar Daniela is eager to share that Colombia and its communities are places of progress and determination.

Daniela and her family understand the realities of Colombia’s violent past as well as anyone. Her father was killed by an armed group when she was a baby, and she was raised by her grandmother while her mother spent long days and nights working. But this part of her history does not define her or her family. Instead, with the support of Unbound, she strives to set herself apart in her community.

“We have always been members of Unbound either within the community where we live or in the neighboring communities where Unbound has reached,” Daniela, who was sponsored at the age of 5, said. “The organization has helped me a lot. I practically lived my whole childhood with Unbound.”
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Education, Guatemala, Sponsor a child, Unbound

Nov 25 2017

Give Tomorrow: Scholars are the future

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Unbound social worker Alexander in Guatemala.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve explored the power of Unbound scholarships and shared the story of scholar Rosaura in a new video. In the video, social worker Alexander reveals the difference an Unbound scholarship can make in a young person’s life by providing sustained support.

Scholars also participate in community service and serve as role models for sponsored kids. These activities provide an invaluable boost to a young person’s development. Students learn what it means to give back. Even though they have little means, they experience serving others who have even less.

“Since [Rosaura] has been in Unbound, she has shared her experiences and is a role model for many other youth,” Alexander said. “The scholars, to me, are the future of Guatemala.”

Young adults all over the world struggle to help support their families and still have the means to pursue their educations.

That’s why Unbound’s scholarship program is designed to set students on a path to a better future. With support and the invaluable life lessons from humbly serving their communities, Unbound scholars are creating a better tomorrow for themselves and our world.

We invite you to be part of creating a hopeful future — for all of us. Join our global community of compassion and support.

Donate today and #GiveTomorrow.

Education, Sponsor a child, Unbound

Nov 20 2017

Give Tomorrow: Why it works

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Through Unbound scholarships, young adults around the world are pursuing their educational goals and creating opportunities for themselves, their communities and our world. Unbound scholars, like Rosaura in Guatemala, are motivated, resilient and hopeful about their futures.

Unbound scholarships help students build a better tomorrow through:

Opportunity unlocked
Getting into college in the countries where we work isn’t easy. In many cases, the options are to get an extremely competitive scholarship or pay out of pocket, which makes higher education inaccessible for many. That’s where Unbound comes in. We provide scholarships to students of all backgrounds who have a variety of educational goals. From attending a technical school to pursuing a master’s program, students set out on the path of education with Unbound.

Means provided
Many students travel hours by bus and on foot to get to class, and the expenses add up fast. That’s why Unbound helps many students with the extra costs that going to school brings — like transportation, books or school supplies.

Communities served
Unlike with a typical university scholarship, scholars become involved in their communities through service. The service component of the program gives students opportunities to develop leadership abilities and gain skills that will help them later in life, such as when they’re seeking employment. It also provides a chance to give back and instills a spirit of service.

Potential realized
Opportunities and sustained support set Unbound scholars on a path to graduation from the very beginning. And when they complete their educations, they begin a new journey of economic self-sufficiency that will take them further in life, empowering their families and communities along the way. That’s impact!

Unbound scholars have an opportunity like no other — the chance to pursue their dreams with the support of a global community. You can be a part of that.

Donate today, and help a student build a better tomorrow.
#GiveTomorrow.

Education, Unbound

Nov 18 2017

Give Tomorrow: How does it work?

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Last week, we shared our latest video featuring Unbound scholar Rosaura in Guatemala. All over the world, students like Rosaura are making their way to a better tomorrow with your support.

So how does it all work? Check out these four facts about Unbound scholarships.
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An image of a precarious home in Colombia.

awareness trips, Colombia, Education, Environment, South America, Sponsor a child, Sponsor an aging friend, Unbound

Sep 25 2017

The precarious home on the hillside

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The image of a vast view of Medellin, Colombia.

The view from the patio of the home of sponsored child Johan in Colombia.

Poverty looks different across countries and regions. What comes easily for one family might be a great struggle for another. From climate to landscape to politics, the conditions of where one lives have a huge, and widely varying, impact on their lives. In upcoming publications, we’re taking a look at the realities of poverty around the Unbound world to get a better glimpse into the lives of the families who are a part of our community.

This fall, we’re focusing that look on the issue of housing, something that impacts every family no matter where they live. Watch your mailboxes for our upcoming edition of Impact on the topic of housing, and read on for a staff member’s reflection on her unexpected experience facing that reality on a trip to Colombia.

Unbound staff members Patricia and Henry (right) say goodbye after visiting the family of sponsored child Johan in Colombia.

By Maureen Lunn, writer/editor

Sitting on a twin bed in a small Colombian home, I felt unusually wary. I’d visited huts and shacks in many countries around the world, but on this visit to the home of an Unbound family in Medellin, I was legitimately nervous. The home I was sitting in felt like it could splinter and fall to the ground far below at any moment.

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Around the world with Unbound