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July 31, 2009 – The U.S. Embassy, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Georgetown University’s Center for Intercultural Education and Development (CIED) awarded this morning 46 scholarships to Salvadorans to pursue technical studies in the United States, with an investment of over $1,082,000.
Over 90 percent of the first group of scholars who are part of the Scholarship for Education and Economic Development (SEED) Program come from rural areas. Sixty percent of the scholars are female. With scholarships that will last for six months to two years, the new scholars will study at several institutions in the United States. Through their higher education studies, youth and community leaders will be able to share and practice their knowledge within their communities.
New scholars will receive technical training and will learn leadership skills. They will also choose from several study areas, including Agribusiness for Export, Quality Control, Small and Medium Enterprise Management and Marketing, and the Rural Teachers Program for Children-At-Risk.
The SEED Program, which follows the Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) Program, is funded by USAID and administered by Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. Since 1989, a total of 800 Salvadorans have benefited from both scholarship programs, for which $19 million have been invested.
The SEED Program is currently being implemented in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mexico and El Salvador.
The scholarships award ceremony was presided over by the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Robert Blau; the Scholarship for Education and Economic Development Program Coordinator, José Alfredo Bonilla; the Head of the Pedagogical Unit at the Ministry of Education, Manuel Menjívar; and Aurora Matilde Aguilar, guest of honor and former CASS scholar. Ms. Aguilar was recently decorated by the University of Arizona with the Excellence Award, which now carries her name, “The Aura Matilde Aguilar Excellence Award.” |
