José Bustos has been the part time General Coordinator of Niños Adelante for better than 20 years. José's personal attention, including meeting with teachers, school administrators, parents, students, community leaders and sponsors, has been the key to finding, selecting and retaining qualified students for the program.

 

José meets with students and their parents regularly. Because the homes of many students are without telephones, he has to travel, sometimes 20-30 minutes up the mountain, sometimes several times just to see them. 

 

Student contact is also maintained at least eight times a year when students are required to personally appear to receive their becas or scholarship payments and present their grade transcripts. During these meetings, typically in the small, shared Niños Adelante office, students are encouraged to e-mail or write a snail mail letter to their sponsors. José also uses this time to address academic or relevant family issues with the students.

 

José, who communicates effectively in English, normally works at his fulltime job  begining mid-afternoon, thereby giving him time for the needs of Niños Adelante several mornings a week.