Throughout the past 17 years FOTIS has worked with partners in each country to select children in need for grants. Many of the secondary schools and boarding schools are run by NGOs. Once a child is selected, FOTIS commits to providing them with their entire secondary education as long as they maintain good grades and merit advancement. All FOTIS students have graduated. But hope does not stop there. A majority of FOTIS students have continued on to higher education or job apprenticeships and become engineers, teachers, doctors, lawyers and leaders.
Many others were able to get steady jobs, improving their lives and the lives of their families. FOTIS receives letters from many students thanking them for their education. It has enabled them to contribute to the income of their parents and even pay for the education of their younger siblings.
FOTIS grants have saved young girls from child marriages in India. Lifted orphans of genocide in Rwanda from poverty. Provided schooling for children in remote areas of Honduras. These are just some of its projects. This year a young women entering her last year of high school in Rwanda wrote that FOTIS had opened her world to a career in science:
“I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous support of my education at Gashora Girls Academy. Your sponsorship has made so many meaningful experiences possible…. I have have been accepted to London International Youth Science Forum, a summer program (2 weeks) taking place in the United Kingdom and sponsored by Young Scientist for Africa (YoSA). This leaves me with an opportunity to engage with cutting edge scientific discussions and connect with young scholar from around the world…Thank you again for investing in my education! I promise to continue working hard and to honor your generosity”.
Their HOPE is OUR hope.