The Ya’axché scholarship program provides financial assistance to students from communities alongside our lands to subsidize their high school costs and it's something you can help support.

Students are selected in consultation with primary school principals and village leaders based on merit and need. As part of their scholarship, the students conduct community outreach activities including highway litter pick-ups, tree planting, primary school environmental presentations, beautification of the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve, and environmental field trips.

If you would like to sponsor a child or learn more about the scholarship program, please send us an email or make a donation.

Sponsoring a child is a great way to help the local community and support our work in the longterm. Ya’axché has limited grant funding for its scholarship program. When you support a student, a new student can be added to the program using the remaining grant money. In return for your assistance, you will receive grade reports and letters from the student you sponsor.

Education is a vital part of our work in the local communities. Here are just a few of the reasons why current students receiving sponsorship are choosing to continue their education.

Cesar Ac
"My Name Is Cesar Ac, I am a Q'eqchi Maya. I was born and live in Medina Bank. My village is one of more than thirty Mayan villages found in southern Belize that lie along riverbanks and creeks and are surrounded by beautiful mountains and rainforests. Our family mainly survives on subsistence farming. I enjoy helping my father on the farm and during my spare time I go swimming in the Deep River.

"Presently I attend the Toledo Community College in Punta Gorda and I hope to live a better future through getting an education with the help of Ya’axché. I would also like to be a very instrumental person in the development of my community in the future."

Matias Shol
"My name is Matias Sho from Golden Stream village and I am 14 years old. I would like to be an environmentalist who will try to protect our environment. I understand that our environment should be used in a sustainable way so as to benefit the future children. I want to achieve my goal by working hard and doing a lot of studying. I believe that I can make it by being obedient and humble.

"At home I usually spend my free time by playing games such as cards and other board games. I also enjoy reading stories and have fun reading them."

Mario Rash
"I am Mario Rash, 14 years old from Indian Creek village. My greatest dream is to be a manager. In order to achieve this goal, I should begin to manage myself with time and resources. Ensuring I do my best to get a good education from high school. I believe that I should major my studies in the business field.

"I enjoy sports such as football, cycling and other athletic activities. Also, I do reading and socializing about constructive matters, issues of development and assisting anywhere in my community."

Pricilla Cal
"My name is Pricilla Cal and I am 15 years old. I am a student who finished primary school and I am looking forward to going to high school. My parents are both from Golden Stream and are struggling to sustain our family. It is very difficult for them to send me to high school. For me, I want to try my best to get an education so that I could reach my goal. That goal is to be educated and be a marketable person for a job in the future. Only through this will I be able to help my parents in the struggle.

"I also have two sisters coming up and they also want an education and I know I can help once I get mine."

Isidonio Coc
"Hello my name is Isidonio Coc and I live in Golden Stream village and I am 15 years old. With the help of Ya’axché, I can be an educated person. I want to be a teacher who can help in educating the younger generation. Then also I can assist my parents. They are the ones who have been encouraging me to get an education since, for them, life is hard.

"In my free time, I play football, volleyball and swim at the Golden Stream river. However I do enjoy reading as well. I usually choose the books carefully and then locate a cool spot to go and read so that I can enjoy more."

Elicia Making
"My name is Elicia Making from Golden Stream village. I am 15 years old. I want to be a nurse but I need to study hard and be a positive person to achieve my goal. During my free time at home I enjoy reading interesting books or sometimes newspapers. I also enjoy doing arts and craft."

Amalia Chiquin
"My name is Amalia Chiquin and I live in Idian Creek village with my parents. In the future I want to be a teacher. I hope I achieve my goals by continuing my education by studying, being serious especially by keeping my grades high. During my free time I study my notes. I also enjoy reading story books that are very interesting to me."

Orlando Sho
"My name is Orlando Sho, I am a Q'eqchi Mayan student, living in Golden Stream village. My village has a population of 450 people; Mopan and Q'eqchi make up the most of it however, there are a few East Indians and Mestizos. Most of the people in my village, like my family, live on or survives mainly on subsistence farming.

"I enjoy helping my father on the farm and, during my spare time, I go swimming in the Golden Stream pool. I attend the Toledo Community College in Punta Gorda and I hope to live a better future through getting an education with the help of Ya’axché."

 

We would like to thank The Lodge at Big Falls for its valuable partnership in this program.