Few for Change was founded on the idea that investing in education means not just supporting young people, but building a better future for their communities. Now that Few for Change has supported students in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé for almost 16 years, we are learning together how to put our ideas into practice over the long-term.
Over the past few years, we have seen parts of this dream realized in some unexpected ways. In 2023, Sindy, a former Few for Change scholar, joined the Junta Directiva (the Panamanian board of directors), showing us one way that scholarship recipients can become community leaders. And over the past two years, we saw our first six FFC-supported students graduate from university. In 2023, Edgar completed his information technology bachelor’s degree, which was 8 years in the making. Not long after, Junta Directiva member Agripina completed her bachelor’s degree in social work. After years of putting herself through night school while working a day job and supporting Few for Change as a volunteer board member, she had applied for a scholarship of her own to help her cross the finish line. Her son, Kevin, completed his bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education that same year. In summer 2024, Yosary completed her bachelor’s degree in Medical Records and Health Statistics and Yolesni completed her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Most recently, in May 2025, long-term scholarship recipient Ana Melisa successfully presented her thesis for her degree in nursing.
Edgar completed his degree and started a licensing program to become a secondary school teacher in 2023.
“I want to thank all of you for believing in me and for offering me this emotional and economic support. It has helped me significantly and I will never tire of thanking you.”
Agripina and her daughter doing homework together in 2016.
Agripina working her day job at the local elementary school in 2016.
Ana Melisa took a relieved selfie after presenting her thesis for her nursing degree in May 2025.
“I don’t know how to thank you, but thank you for the help you gave me. Few for Change, I owe a lot to you.”
It takes a great deal of vision and endurance to attend high school in the comarca, let alone university. During her education access fellowship, Few for Change Data Analyst Katya Sparks detailed some of the reasons why in a blog post last year. One of these is that most students in the Comarca must travel outside their home region to attend high school. When asked about difficulties they have overcome, many of our scholarship recipients have also talked about difficulties completing homework without computers or with limited cell or internet service.
Statistics on high school enrollment in the Comarca are scarce, but in 2005, net enrollment rates for high school were 44% in urban areas, but only 25% in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé. According to the same source, only about 10% of students living indigenous communities in Panama graduate from high school, compared to 35% of students living in rural localities and 60% of students living in urban areas. Few for Change seeks to close those gaps by supporting high school students as much as we can.
It is impossible to quantify the community impact of those extra years of education. However, we know from reading hundreds of scholarship applications that having a higher-educated family member who can help with schoolwork is a major source of support for younger students who face challenges to staying in school. Research suggests that this is a general trend in Latin American households: children in a household with an adult who has finished elementary school are more likely to attend school and progress adequately.
Going on to complete even one semester of a university education is an enormous achievement for students from the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé. There is only one university within the region’s borders. With such limited offerings, most university students must relocate to a city where they are considered a minority among Panamanian Latinos, taking courses in Spanish, (their second language), among peers who are often years ahead from attending higher quality high schools. Nevertheless, some make it work, against all odds.
Few for Change is currently supporting 14 university students, including José Manuel, who is completing a 5-year biomedical engineering program with intensive English-language study at Rowan University in the U.S.. You can learn more about his remarkable journey to college in the U.S. here.
Jose Manuel with Few for Change board member, Tim, and friends at Rowan University, 2024.
We are excited to see where our FFC-supported college students’ educational journeys take them, and are eager to support their next career steps. In our next blog post, we’ll explore some of those challenges and opportunities.
One year of a Few for Change university scholarship costs anywhere from $600- $1,000. Donate today to support our University scholars, and follow along for Part 2 of the Few for Change University series.
