> Through the College Assistance Program, FOS:
> The Lincoln Program
> SEED: The Micro-Loan Program
The College Assistance Program (CAP)
The College Assistance Program (CAP), which was established in 2004, assists Sudanese refugees who have achieved high school equivalency degrees either on their own or through the FOS Lincoln Program. CAP offers financial assistance and educational/career guidance so that refugees can attend post-secondary educational programs full-time. Educational goals of CAP candidates range from two-year vocational-technical and community college programs to four-year college degrees to divinity school and medical school. At a minimum, CAP aims to provide two years of community college or vocational-technical training. CAP will also assist participants on an individual basis with housing, medical, and living expenses while they pursue college degrees.
Through the College Assistance
Program, FOS:
- provides guidance for selecting educational institutions and
programs appropriate to individual goals and abilities
- assists with enrollment, orientation and state and federal financial aid applications
- subsidizes tuition through a combination of private sponsorships, scholarship programs and grants
- pays monthly rent so students can attend school full-time
- helps coordinate work schedules and/or reduction in work hours to balance with full-time school schedules
- advocates for access to tutors and educational/career mentors
- pays for basic health care insurance while in school
- monitors progress toward educaitonal and career goals
All CAP participants are expected to work part-time to cover their living expenses such as food, utilities, transportation and incidentals.
Established in 2001, the Lincoln Program sponsors an apartment in Lincoln for up to 3 young men so that they can pursue educational degrees through the Lincoln-Sudbury school system, Minuteman Vocational Technical School, or community college.
All three of the young men who began in the Lincoln Program in 2001 graduated from Lincoln-Sudbury High School in June, 2005 and have continued on to college. In addition to sponsoring the apartment, FOS ensures that individuals in the Lincoln Program receive mentoring, private tutoring, health insurance, health care, transportation and assistance in securing appropriate jobs.
Participants are expected to work part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer in order to pay all other living expenses.
SEED was established in 2006 to provide the Sudanese community with the means to finance temporary loans. Administered by the Sudanese themselves with oversight by FOS, the program fosters financial responsibility and community in that the loans are repaid with interest and become available to assist other Sudanese. SEED loans might help cover such costs as unforeseen emergency expenses or a down payment for a new car.
