Scholarships

During the war against the civilian population in the 1980's, El Salvador's rulers shut down public schools in the countryside. Abandoned by their government, communities like Carasque developed their own system of "people's education." If a school were destroyed or the community dispersed by the army , school would go on, even if just under a mango tree.

The shooting war ended in 1992. But Carasque and its neighbors remain targets of malign neglect: the cost of basic services like a high school education is priced out of reach of most poor communities.

Bangor joins its sister city Carasque in supporting Carasque’s extraordinary commitment to education, to their youth, and to energized, sustainable communities. Scholarship funds from the Bangor area are distributed jointly, through the civil organization and the parish to which Carasque belongs, to youth from Carasque and its neighboring communities.

Scholarship assistance makes possible students' attendance at high school and University, but it does not fully cover costs. Students must find ways to contribute part of their expenses, and they must make a commitment to continue to live in and work on behalf of their communities as condition of receiving scholarship aid.

Even modest contributions make a big difference. We are looking for individuals and organizations to help with the scholarship project. If you are interested, please contact the PICA office! 

Download a copy of PICA's Scholarship brochure. (PDF format, 233 Kb)