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Volunteering with HYTES
Greetings current and future HYTES volunteers!
It is a real pleasure to share my wonderful experience of working with HYTES. But first, let me introduce myself and my encounter with the organization.
I am Bhakti Behere, Economics student at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton. I first met Carol Frost – a HYTES volunteer – at a HYTES booth on campus. In the beginning, I didn’t know the meaning of “HYTES”, but Carol explained that it meant “Helping Youth Through Educational Scholarships”. This description got my attention and made me want to find out more about what HYTES does. As a university student, I believe that every youth must complete his or her high school and have the opportunity to enroll in university.
HYTES is a Canadian, non-profit organization that raises funds to deliver scholarships and provide education to students in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Guatemala. HYTES helps youths from developing countries to explore their reams of education. To do this, they organize fundraising events that are always exciting and entertaining.
Today, I am a new HYTES volunteer. I am enjoying all the events with the organization, especially working with Pam, Jenn, Kirsten, Marisa, Karen, Eric, and Maluk. I have volunteered for one fundraising event – Kokopelli in Concert…. reaching new HYTES on October 25, 2009 at McKernan Baptist Church. I went to HYTES meetings and was assigned task of promotion with Pam for the Kokopelli in Concert event. We made posters and tickets, and of course promoted the event on Facebook. Working with HYTES was a relaxing time away from all my schoolwork and our hard work paid off – Kokopelli in Concert was a huge success for HYTES. While HYTES raised funds for education, they also shared beautiful African music.
My first experience working with HYTES was very positive. Meeting new people and doing different activities is great for students who want to have enjoyable social experiences. HYTES shows how Canadian organizations care for developing nations. HYTES is like a family – anyone who starts working with them becomes part of that family, makes good friends, and gains real world experience through their involvement in fundraising activities.
I still am a volunteer with HYTES and believe I will be for a lifetime.
—Bhakti Behere
Long live HYTES
HYTES receives several letters each year from sponsored students, their families and teachers, thanking you, our thoughtful contributors, for providing the gift of education. Even after HYTES students complete their education and go on to higher learning or employment, many continue to update us on their wellbeing. The following letter was sent to HYTES by the parents of a current HYTES-sponsored students and it’s our pleasure to share their words of gratitude with you, our kind supporters, who have made this – and more than 400 other – scholarships possible.
Dear HYTES,
We are the parents of student Beryl Awour Onyango of Ngara Girls High School in Nairobi, Kenya. We send our sincere appreciation for giving our daughter this years’ scholarship. We believe it is well-deserved and will ensure that she utilizes it well for her future life. We wish you the best as you endeavor with this worthy cause. Thank you for your efforts and kind hearts. Long live HYTES.
Regards,
Francis Onyango Agunda and Pamela Onyango
–Shannon McClennan
Who are you supporting?
It’s said that ‘we don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone, but we don’t know what we’re missing until it arrives’. It’s difficult for many North American students – who have had the opportunity to attend school – to fully comprehend what it means to be denied an education. They know what they’ve got. There are many children, youths and adults around the world who, for many reasons, believe that their dreams of attending school, learning to read and having a career are out of reach. At HYTES, we believe that access to education is a right, and one more step in helping young people achieve their dreams. We receive multiple letters of thanks from HYTES students who are grateful to you for the gift of education.
This is the case of Mfaume, a Tanzanian student who is facing his future without his parents. Through your donations, HYTES is working to support Mfaume and provide him with a worthy education to help him achieve his goal of becoming a lawyer. “I would like to work with the magistrates and advocates in order to make sure the laws are followed effectively,” says Mfaume, who dreams of working with his people to overcome poverty in Tanzania.
Resources are limited for Zambian young population too. Edina Phiri is a Zambian girl whose father struggles to pay tuition fees for his eight children. Your support helps HYTES fund Edina’s education as her family cannot afford her school uniform or notebook to write in. When her education is complete, Edina plans to be an accountant to help improve Zambian banks.
Like Mfaume and Edina, more that 150 children in four countries are realizing their education dreams through your support of HYTES. Their school tuition, textbook and uniform costs not only see students through their education, but also help to pay the salary of teachers, local publishers and textile workers. Through your support of HYTES, you’re not only funding children’s education, but giving hope and security to hundreds, if not thousands of workers in Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya and Guatemala.
–Vanessa Montes
Contributing Writer