We believe in the power of young people to foster change in their families, schools and communities. Our scholarship programme provides opportunities for high-potential, low-income students in rural Honduras to pursue secondary and post-secondary education.
In rural Trinidad, Santa Bárbara where we are based, less than 50% of students complete their middle school education, and even fewer graduate from high school. Opportunities to attend university are practically non-existent. Economic factors are the greatest barrier: families cannot afford transportation to get to high school from rural villages, or to cover the costs of school materials. Other factors, such as high rates of teenage pregnancy, also lead to higher rates of school dropout in rural areas.
our Scholarship programme
We believe that sponsoring high-potential students from low-income backgrounds to pursue high school and post-secondary education is key to ensuring inclusive and equitable opportunities to education.
educate. awards scholarships to high-potential young people from rural communities in and around Trinidad, Santa Bárbara to continue their education at public high schools and at university. Young people can apply for scholarships as they enter 7th grade, as it is between primary and middle school where we see the largest school dropout rates, making it a critical moment support young people in accessing secondary education.
Scholars are selected based on economic need, academic potential, and their personal motivation to engage in educate.’s weekly activities and trainings. The majority of our scholars are from households with an average household income below Honduras’ minimum wage, and over 60% are girls and young women.
During their time in the programme, scholars receive holistic support, which goes well beyond the economic scholarships they receive to include personal accompaniment, tutoring if and when needed, access to mental health services and counseling, and weekly engagement in educate.’s youth programmes and leadership workshops
Success Stories
Tania: educate.’s first university graduate
In 2024, Tania became our very first university graduate, achieving her degree in Industrial Engineering with honours. Born and raised in the coffee-growing town of Trinidad, Tania grew up living with her extended family, and was one of just two students to receive an award for academic excellence when she graduated from high school. Her outstanding academic performance and insatiable passion and drive for learning, despite difficult economic circumstances, led her to be awarded one of our first ever university scholarships in 2018.
Studying engineering was not easy. Aside from challenging classes, Tania was often one of few girls in her career track. “Many people have asked me ‘wow, why are you studying that? It’s for guys!’” she said at the time. “But I know I can do it, I’ll succeed.”
In 2025, Tania was hired as educate.’s second employee, taking on the role of Projects Coordinator. Knowing firsthand the impact that educate. has on the lives of young people, Tania has embraced the opportunity to take on a leadership position within the organization where she can pass on her learning to new generations of young people.
Mahely: An example of girl leadership
Mahely has became an educate. in 2022, aged 13. At 16 she became coordinator of our youth communications programme at the Youth Center, teaching other young people skills in photography, video production creation and public speaking. In 2024 she also received a medal of academic excellence, as she achieved the highest grade point average (GPA) in her school.
In 2024, Mahely was invited to speak on a panel of Girl Leaders from across Central America at the ‘Ellas al Frente’ Summit in Antigua, Guatemala, where she shared her experience as a girl leader at educate.
Javier: Computer Science Student and STEM leader
Javier is the oldest of his six siblings, and was the first in his family to graduate from high school in 2019. When he was awarded a university scholarship, his grandmother Olga had tears in her eyes as she expressed “I cannot believe my grandson is going to university!”
Javier’s university studies have not been without challenges, including first the pandemic, followed by two devastating hurricanes.
Javier has persisted, however, and when the Youth Center opened, he was one of our first young leaders. He began teaching computer classes in our new computer lab to fellow educate. scholars, and gradually expanded the programme into a primary and secondary structure, teaching both basic IT skills as well as coding and robotics to young people from rural villages, many of whom had never so much as sat in front of a computer before.
Nallely: Empowering Girls through Sport
Nallely grew up in a rural village outside of Trinidad, and completed her highschool education through a distance learning programme, gaining top marks. She was awarded an educate. scholarship to study Business Administration in 2023.
“I see myself in the future being a university graduate, with a good job, learning and helping other people who need it, including young people like myself who don’t have the resources necessary to study, but have all the desire to better themselves,” she said.
In 2024, Nallely kicked off our UniDeportes sports programme, using sport as a tool for youth empowerment and gender equity. Over the course of it’s first year, the programme reached over 500 children and young people from rural communities, and more than 50% were girls and young women.
Elvin: from a rural village to university
Elvin is from the community of El Limon, over an hour away from Trinidad and high up in the mountains. He never expected to be able to study beyond 9th grade, because the distance and cost of transport seemed like insurmountable obstacles. In 2024 however, he not only graduated high school, but was one of just two students to win a medal of academic excellence!
He has since been abel to begin a technical university degree in Industrial Production, and has also been involved in leading our primary years STEM programme, co-leadership of our sports programme, and working as a part-time administrative assistant alongside his university studies.
“Here at educate. we come [to the Youth Center] to meet new people, to make friends, to learn about things like communication, values, and leadership,” Elvin says. “Something that has always motivated me, is that when we come here we all participate, we put our fears aside, and it helps us to overcome our fears. Here in our country there are many young people who really want to continue their studies, but sometimes there is no support. But at educate., it is possible for young people to make their dreams come true.”
Stephanie Chevez
On April 20th, 2022, our scholarship student Stephanie Marie Chevez Palma passed away.
Stephanie was educate.’s first scholarship student. She was an ambitious, kind-hearted and quietly striving young woman. Her loss is an enormous tragedy.
Stephanie was studying medicine and was half way through the fifth year of her studies in an eight year degree. She set an example for the scholars to come and her memory will forever be a part of who we are as an organization.
educate. 