SCHOOLMATES

· The classes who want to make a commitment to living the culture of giving can support scholarships in developing countries.

· A class can make a commitment for an annual scholarship (9 months) with at least one Euro per month for every pupil. If more is collected this can be used to help another child.

· Every month, two or three students are given the task of collecting the 20 Euros and giving them to the teacher. At the end of the year the teacher sends them to the Schoolmates center. The students keep an account of how much has been collected.

· Making this monthly commitment is not the only way to contribute. The whole class can organize fund-raising activities such as Spring Fairs or other events.

· The classes send the contributions for the scholarships to the ' Schoolmates center ' in the knowledge that they will go to a single fund which will be used to help children in need. This is to avoid twinning between individual children which could cause some uneasiness, just like in a family where everything belongs to everyone.

· There will be an administrator of the funds in the countries which receive the scholarships.

· A group of boys and girls will be chosen by the local community for the scholarships according to the criterion of those most in need.

· In making this choice precedence will be given to girls, because of the greater difficulty they have in getting access to education.

· The Money for the scholarships will be sent to the administrator of the funds before the school year begins (the expiry date will depend upon the country) so as to be able to give time for enrolment, paying the school fees and school materials.

· The children who are chosen are monitored during the school year to check that they are committed to their studies.

· The children who are chosen play their part by helping younger pupils with after-school lessons and private tuition, so that their sense of responsibility develops.

· Attendance at technical schools will be encouraged. After finishing technical school, when possible, the boy or the girl will be given a kit of tools so as to be able to begin their profession.

'Schoolmates Center'

· At the 'Schoolmates Center' a fund will be started to give continuity to the scholarships independently of the natural instability and temporary nature of the commitments of the classes.

· The 'Schoolmates Center' co-ordinates the whole project: it collects the contributions for the scholarships and sends them to the local administrators, and keeps an account of how the money has been spent.

· Once a year it will print a publication - 'Boomerang' - to give a report to all the students and the teachers on the progress of the ' Schoolmates Project', on the way help has been given and reporting on the most interesting experiences.

· The most important and encouraging news regarding the project will be published on the website:

· Benefactors, sponsors and institutions can contribute to the scholarship fund.