Sabana Grande is a community within the municipal boundaries of Totogalpa, Nicaragua, near the Honduran border.  The community is a hard-working and close-knit, and also very poor.  Housing is humble and modern conveniences few and far between.   A steady supply of electricity is a luxury, and cars are almost nonexistent.  The people who live in this area are descendants of the Chorotega, the indigenous people who lived in central and western Nicaragua before the arrival of the Spanish. In 2002, Totogalpa was officially declared a native Chorotega territory.

Education is key for the betterment of any community and the development of its future leaders, teachers and parents.  To be able to read and write, and understand the consequences of life choices, children need a good education.  While there is a primary school in Sabana Grande, the closest secondary school is several kilometers away, in Totogalpa, the nearest town.  Those students who want to continue their education after the 6th grade must take the bus to Totogalpa.  And resources in all of the area’s school are few.  Indeed, it was only recently that the local primary school had access to electricity, and only because of the generosity of some concerned friends in the US, who donated the money necessary for solar panels for the school.  Books and other teaching aids are old, in short supply, and expensive, especially when compared to the average per capita income of a campesino.  There are many families who simply cannot afford the costs of the journey to Totogalpa on the bus, and the other expenses for supplies that are incurred by students wishing to advance their education. 

But now there is hope for families struggling to find the means to provide their children a secondary education.  Thanks to a generous Solar Culture Course participant, a scholarship program was established in early 2008 for the children of the Solar Women of Totogalpa.  Scholarships, first awarded in February of 2008, defray the costs associated with attending secondary school, opening doors for students that otherwise would not be able to continue their educations. A student from Sabana Grande can attend secondary school for a year with all expenses paid for about US$260.   While this is a lot of money for a Nicaraguan campesino, it is a relatively manageable amount to ask of an international donor.  The goal of the Solar Women is to maintain the level of the scholarship fund at $4,000, sufficient to provide full secondary school scholarships for 15 students per year.

The Solar Women formed an education committee and developed a set of policies for the scholarship program, including a sophisticated selection process, which helps insure that scholarships (called becas in Spanish) are awarded impartially, and which also advances other aspects of the women’s collective.  An example of the latter is that a child is eligible for a scholarship only if the member is considered an “active” member of the Solar Women, which requires being current in her volunteer work hours.

The policies cover (1) student eligibility criteria, such as the requirement of a certain grade average; (2) selection criteria which rank applicants according to their grades and attendance at school, and the relative merits of a 250-word essay required of all applicants; and (3) detailed responsibilities of the members of the scholarship committee, composed of six Solar Women elected by their peers.  One of the most endearing and important requirements of beca recipients is to plant and maintain a small garden to contribute to their family’s food supply.

The foresight the women demonstrated by adopting these policies is evident.  While advancing the goals of their organization to maintain an active and involved membership, they are also teaching the students important life skills, such as persistence and excellence in the pursuit of skills and knowledge, and the ability to grow and care for a garden that provides healthy, organic food for their families. 

We would all do well to emulate the goals and policies of the Solar Women in our own lives.

Please email us at thegrupofenix@gmail.com for information on how you can contribute to the Scholarship Fund. 

US citizens may make a tax-exempt donation to Skyheat Associates, 17 Rockwell Rd. SE, Jonesport, ME, 04649, on behalf of the SWT Scholarship fund.