About Fundación Niños Adelante (“Niños Adelante”)

 

Our Zihuatanejo, Mexico, Partner

 

 

 

 

Founded in 1978 under the leadership of Liz Williams, an American expatriate, local realtor and consular agent for the United States Consular Agency in the State of Guerrero, Niños Adelante  is a Mexican non-profit organization providing scholarships to needy, high-achieving and deserving children in the Zihuatanejo area of Mexico. The organization provides scholarship payments to qualifying children in grades 7 through 12 and, since 2006, for program graduates, through trade school, college or university, including post-graduate work. Both Niños Adelante and Friends of Niños Adelante exist based on the belief that education is an essential prerequisite to having a chance at better jobs and more rewarding lives than if their education were terminated after sixth grade.

 

Niños Adelante (Children Forward) provides the much needed help to deserving children by funding grants from Friends of Niños Adelante. 

 

In Mexico, the costs associated with attending school after the sixth grade increase substantially. Many families simply cannot afford to continue with their child's education. Beginning in the 7th grade, students typically pay for, supplies, uniforms and lunch.  A majority of children from poor families live in the hills, thereby incurring the additional cost of bus transportation to and from school.  In addition, high school students are required to pay a small tuition to attend a public high school.

 

Many poor families find it necessary to withdraw their child or children from school and send them to work to support the family. When this happens, children lose the chance to acquire essential knowledge and develop their minds to successfully compete for work other than the lowest paying jobs.

 

The program has grown over the years and now serves approximately 200 students in the Zihuatanejo area, of which approximately 90 are college students. Students are matched with individual sponsors for as long as both are in the program.    If students remain qualified for the program, they are retained in the program without regard to their sponsor scholarship (beca) donations.

 

If you are interested in seeing some data about sponsors                      . 

 

If you would like to more about our students                       .

 

Niños Adelante’s only paid staff are a part time local General Coordinator,                           , and a part time bookkeeper.