During this season of compassion and giving, IRFF would like to invite you to participate in a remarkable opportunity to win matching funds for the Supporting Success Scholarship Fund and the students it sends to school in Bangladesh and Zambia. 

The Supporting Success Scholarship Fund, a program of the International Relief Friendship Foundation, provides scholarships to gifted students from poverty-stricken families in Bangladesh and Zambia.  In 2009, we gave scholarships to 25 students in Zambia and 20 students in Bangladesh.  The families of these young men and women could not afford the expenses of their tuition, uniforms and supplies that schools in countries require.  By keeping them in school, however, we were able to give these children the opportunity to change their lives and break the cycle of poverty that has often gripped their families for generations.  Over the past school year, these students in grades five through seven have worked hard at their studies and are now prepared to move on to the next grade and continue on their path to success.

In the past month, however, the Zambian government has decided that it will now provide a free education to all students through the seventh grade, a move that Supporting Success applauds.  This means that only our students entering grade 8 will need to have their scholarship renewed this year, but that we will hold the funds reserved for our other students until they finish the 7th grade in order to help them continue their education through the 12th grade.  In light of this positive development in Zambia, we are focusing this year’s Supporting Success fundraiser on Bangladesh, where we will be sponsoring our third class of students this year, for a total of 30 young men and women.

To maximize the returns of our fundraising drive this year, we are participating in GlobalGiving’s “Give More – Get More Challenge”, which will allow us to receive matching funds for your generous donations.  When a donation is made to Supporting Success (http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/2400/proj2360a.html/) on GlobalGiving.com before December 1st, GlobalGiving will match that donation by 30%, 40% or 50%. The more we raise, the more they match.  And if we raise the most money or get the most donations (which we did in last year’s challenge!) we are eligible for bonus awards up to $10,000.  You can track our progress at http://www.globalgiving.com/leaderboards/givemore-getmore?showAll=true to see how we are doing in the challenge, and you can read more about Supporting Success and see profiles of some of the students receiving sponsorships from the Supporting Success Scholarship Fund in Bangladesh and Zambia by clicking here

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to concretely change the life of a child that desperately needs your help.  Please donate at http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/2400/proj2360a.html, and then pass the word on to your family, friends and colleagues before the challenge ends on December 1st.  Thank you so much for your generosity.