Davids Educational Opportunity Fund Inc

DAVID'S EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FUND PROVIDES TUITION PAYMENTS, STUDENT EXPENSES (INTERNET, BUS FARE TO AND FROM CLASSES, LUNCH EXPENSES, MATERIALS), MEDICAL, DENTAL, AND VISION COVERAGE, FAMILY EMERGENCY FUNDS, TUTORING, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING TO SELECTED STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION, BOTH UNIVERSITY AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS. OUR STUDENTS COME FROM FAMILIES WITH VERY LIMITED ECONOMIC RESOURCES, TYPICALLY $5000 ANNUAL INCOME. WITHOUT THE HELP OF DEOF, THESE STUDENTS WOULD NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP THEIR TALENTS FULLY OR CONTRIBUTE COMMENSURATELY WITH THEIR ABILITIES TO THEIR COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETY. DEOF OFFERS ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT TO THESE STUDENTS BECAUSE THEIR PREVIOUS EDUCATIONS ARE OFTEN OF POOR QUALITY. FURTHERMORE, THEY ARE TYPICALLY THE FIRST MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY AT THIS LEVEL. WE MAINTAIN VERY REGULAR CONTACT WITH OUR STUDENTS, NOW THROUGH ZOOM, SO AS TO EVALUATE HOW THEY ARE DOING IN THEIR CLASSES AND MORE GENERALLY IN THEIR LIVES. WE AIM TO TEACH THEM TO ANALYZE CAREFULLY THE PROBLEMS THEY ARE ENCOUNTERING, AND WE WORK WITH THEM TO DEVELOP WAYS TO RESOLVE THEM. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED INCLUDE INCIDENTS OF RANDOM VIOLENCE, FAMILY VIOLENCE OR DYSFUNCTION, AND ROBBERY, AS WELL AS SERIOUS ILLNESS IN FAMILY MEMBERS AND LONG-UNTREATED VISION AND DENTAL CONCERNS. WE ARE ASSISTED IN THIS BY ECUADOREAN ALLIES, WHOM WE HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS, AND INCREASINGLY, BY OUR OWN STUDENTS WHO HAVE GRADUATED FROM UNIVERSITIES AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS. IN 2022, WE SUPPORTED 15 ACTIVE STUDENTS. TWO GRADUATED THIS YEAR, IN THE FIELDS OF ACCOUNTING AND CHILD CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY. FOUR ADDITIONAL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUATE IN 2023 IN THE FIELDS OF FINANCE, EMERGENCY TECHNICIAN SERVICES, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION WITH A SPECIAL EDUCATION FOCUS AT THE MASTER'S LEVEL, THE LATTER, MASTER'S LEVEL STUDENT, GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN 2014, TAUGHT FOR FOUR YEARS, AND IN 2018 BECAME A DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENTALLY FUNDED PRESCHOOLS. SHE IS THE FIRST STUDENT WE HAVE SUPPORTED FOR POST-UNIVERSITY STUDIES. IN ADDITION, PAST GRADUATES INCLUDE AN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER, TWO FASHION DESIGNERS, TWO COMPUTER SCIENTISTS, A COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, A COSMETOLOGIST, AND A TECHNICAL NURSE. CURRENT STUDENTS INCLUDE STUDENTS STUDYING LAW, PSYCHOLOGY, TEACHING, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, AND ARCHITECTURE. THE COST OF THIS PROGRAM IS VERY MODEST BY THE STANDARDS OF THE UNITED STATES. ON AVERAGE, THE COST PER STUDENT IS BETWEEN $4000 AND $5000 PER YEAR TO SUPPORT A STUDENT IN A COMPREHENSIVE WAY. COSTS VARY AMONG STUDENTS BECAUSE OF DIFFERENCES IN TUITION AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. MOST STUDENTS, WHEN THEY BEGIN TO WORK WITH US, NEED A NEW COMPUTER ADEQUATE FOR THEIR UNIVERSITY STUDIES. MUCH OF THE WORK OF DAVID'S FUND IS DONE GRATIS BY THE PRINCIPAL DIRECTORS, MIKE BYRD AND MAGGIE FELKER. SO, MORE THAN 95% OF OUR DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TO OUR STUDENTS AND TO STUDENT-RELATED DIRECT SERVICES. WE HAVE AN IN-COUNTRY AGENT, RUBÉN ALTAMIRANO, WHO KNOWS MANY OF OUR STUDENTS WELL AND HAS A WIDE NETWORK OF CONTACTS IN THE QUITO BUSINESS COMMUNITY. WE ALSO WORK WITH CAROLINA BUSTOS, A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, WHO OFFERS ONLINE COUNSELING SERVICES TO ABOUT HALF OF OUR STUDENTS AT ANY GIVEN TIME. OUR THIRD SUPPORT SERVICE IS AN ORGANIZED GROUP OF TUTORS, ESTUDIA INTELIGENTE, WHICH HAS PROVIDED EXTRA ACADEMIC HELP TO OUR STUDENTS IN A VARIETY OF COURSES. WE ARE VERY SELECTIVE IN OUR CHOICE OF STUDENTS AND ARE DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS AND WELL-BEING OF EACH ONE OF THEM. WHILE ECUADOREAN UNIVERSITY GRADUATION RATES ARE ABYSMAL, CERTAINLY BELOW 25% FOR POOR PEOPLE, WE HAVE LOST ONLY THREE STUDENTS DURING OUR FIRST 11 YEARS OF OPERATION. SO OUR SUCCESS RATE IS CLOSE TO 90%. THIS ATTESTS TO THE QUALITY OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS PROGRAM AND THE SUCCESS OF DEOF'S MODEL OF COMPREHENSIVE AND PERSONALIZED SUPPORT.