Scholarship for Advanced Guyanese Education (SAGE) is a very dedicated group of former teachers positioned as volunteers in Guyana, South America.

I found out about them while I was volunteering there from 2008-2010 with the Peace Corps.

I continue to correspond with them regarding a previous client of mine who was awarded a scholarship in 2010. He has had his troubles since enrolling at the Unversity of Guyana but the SAGE group has been working very hard with him to keep him in school and assist him in all ways possible.

They are a compassionate group who are dedicated to see their mission continued and expanded. You would be doing a real service by volunteering to this group in any way you can.

Thank you.

Clearly committed to helping young Guyanese make change in their country, SAGE empowers Guyanese students by granting them access to higher education.

Although it is still very young as an organization, I believe SAGE provides a valuable opportunity to Guyanese students. By targeting students with academic promise but limited financial means, SAGE enables selected applicants to obtain tertiary education which they otherwise would not have access to. In addition to academic qualifications, however, SAGE looks for students who strive to improve their home country. It is this passion and commitment that SAGE believes is vital to having scholarship recipients graduating and actually making a difference in Guyana, as opposed to obtaining a degree and moving away to 'greener pastures.' As of now, SAGE has selected two scholarship students and hopes in the coming years for that number to grow significantly.

Guyana is the second poorest nation in the Western hemisphere and suffers from a depletion of intelligence leaving the country to seek other opportunities. SAGE addresses this issue by providing access to a University education for bright students with limited financial means. Scholars are chosen based on academic ability and commitment to developing their country.

SAGE fills a critical gap by allowing students who would not otherwise be able to attend University to have a financial means to do so. I am impressed with the Board member's dedication, the University of Guyana's commitment to the organization, and the amount of impact the organization can have on students' lives.

This organization fills a huge gap in one of the poorest, yet forgotten, countries in the Caribbean and South America. SAGE looks for Guyanese students with limited means but who are dedicated to developing the country. By providing Guyanese students with scholarships to the university and asking that they stay in the country after they graduate, this organization aims to help develop the country from the ground up. Most importantly, I like that this organization approaches development through education of the people who live there, rather than bringing in outsiders. Through education, development is much more sustainable.