Change the Future: Sponsor a School

Published on March 5, 2025 by Glasswing

Meet Betlem.

He’s 12 years old and is from Bello, Colombia, a suburb of Medellín. 

He wants to be a firefighter someday. But today, his dream is simpler, more urgent:

“My dream is to help people.”

“I want safe places for kids to learn and play.”

The Reality Behind Betlem’s Dream 

Betlem attends Institución Educativa Alberto Díaz Muñoz, a school with over 1,800 students from preschool to 11th grade. The students here deserve a safe place where they can grow, learn, and play.

Instead, teachers tell us: 

• Students need mental health support, and it’s hard to access.
• Teachers need classroom resources — even just desks. 
• Beyond basic needs, younger students require extra reading and math help post-pandemic, and older kids are eager to prepare for their jobs and careers.  

Schools across Latin America and the Caribbean are facing similar challenges. Let’s change the story. 

What It Means to Sponsor a School

Sponsor a School is an immediate investment in the communities where support is most needed. It’s an opportunity to make lasting change, right away. 

Glasswing works in 80 community schools across eight countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 🇸🇻 El Salvador
🇬🇹 Guatemala | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 🇵🇦 Panama

We’ve been here for nearly 20 years. Our team isn’t just working with these communities. This is home. We’re trusted partners to schools and families, listening to what they need and helping them achieve it. 

We can fix leaky ceilings, improve street lighting, and repair storm damage. We can expand STEM programs and accelerate literacy progress. We have the staff, the curriculum, the commitment. What we need is the support to sustain and grow this impact — together. 

Together, we can make sure students have safe, supportive spaces to learn and thrive.

Why This Works 

Investing in a school changes lives. When students feel safe, they can learn. They build confidence, resilience, and hope. They strengthen their relationships with their families. They gain the skills to shape their own futures. 

In Glasswing community schools, the impact is clear:

• 88% of students improve their grades
• 90% of students improve their self-esteem
• 90% of students improve their relationships with their parents
• 23% reduction in absenteeism

These numbers are proof that when we invest in young people, the returns extend far beyond the classroom. In contexts where students have opportunities to learn and thrive, they ask: “How can I help?”

They become the leaders their communities need. This is how real, sustainable change happens — and it starts with you. 

What To Do

Sponsoring a school is a hands-on, heart-driven partnership that unlocks opportunity and joy on all sides. 

The process is simple:

1. You choose a school. Sponsor as an individual, a company, a foundation, or as part of a Giving Circle. Sponsorship is $25,000 per year for three years — a commitment to real change.
2. We put every dollar into action. 100% of your gift goes to school sponsorship. Glasswing covers all administrative costs.
3. Lives are transformed. With regular updates, you’ll see the difference you’re making.

Not the right time for a gift of this size? Would you join us as a monthly donor instead? A monthly commitment of any dollar amount provides reliable support that goes directly to community needs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Monthly contributions provide steady, reliable support. They allow us to plan ahead, respond to urgent needs, and sustain programming, every day.

What Your Sponsorship Makes Possible

• After-school programs in sports, the arts, STEM, debate, and more
• Better academic outcomes, helping students recover from pandemic learning loss 
• Essential supplies and repairs, creating safe, inspiring spaces
• Community building through volunteerism, parent events, and inviting spaces for community conversations 
• Teacher training in self-care and student-centered learning
• Development of core competencies and skills through leadership, problem solving, and job-readiness initiatives
• Trauma-informed staff training and mental health counseling
• Mentor-mentee relationship building

This is how we improve learning conditions, support mental health, and strengthen neighborhoods. This is how we build brighter futures for generations to come, one school at a time. 

From Our First Sponsors

“The school had not only grown in terms of infrastructure but had become a vibrant hub of community activity. The integration of the community with the school was evident and inspiring. I am proud of the work we have done and continue to be inspired by the incredible growth and resilience of the communities we support.” — Alexandra Araujo, a school supporter for over 10 years

“I know first-hand that our support changes the lives of hundreds of children, and it is really gratifying to see how it also empowers parents and the entire community.” — Mike Kazma, a school supporter for 10+ years

To learn more and meet some of the students whose lives you would impact, please visit the Sponsor a School website:

Sponsoring a school is a life-changing gift. It’s an investment in a stronger future. 

From all of us here at Glasswing, thank you for being here with us! 🦋