For the Love of Education

Who is NCA?

NCA is a non-profit, charitable organization, incorporated and registered in 1977 in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico. NCA is recognized by and reports to the Mexican federal government (SAT Hacienda) and Secretaria de Desarrollo y Vinculación con Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil. Our RFC Number is NCA-770930-ME5.  As of the August, 2024, we currently have approximately 200 children actively sponsored in our program.

What do we do?

Scholarships for Education.  NCA assists qualifying, underprivileged children and young adults in the Lake Chapala area (from Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos to San Pedro Itzicán to Jocotepec) to achieve their maximum educational potential:  NCA supports the cost of their school fees, books, supplies and uniforms, and where indicated, provides an income supplement and/or assistance with related medical needs.

NCA has helped several thousand young Mexicans over the past forty six years.  NCA alumni are now practicing lawyers, doctors, accountants, marine biologists, teachers, engineers, and successful professionals in other disciplines.

Accountability. As a non-profit, NCA is run by its Board of Directors and employees.  We are the go-between among our sponsors, students, and their families.  Kenia and Angelia, responsible for student / sponsor liaison, facilitate information exchange, and provide regular reports of the students’ progress plus sponsorship account up-dates.

NCA operates with a very low overhead;  95% of sponsors’ money donated to our students goes directly to pay for their education-related expenses. Only 5% is set aside toward office overhead and staff expenses.  The remaining funds required for employee wages and office expenses come from our fund-raising activities.  Very strict controls and procedures are in place to track all donations and funds raised to ensure that monies paid out to students are properly accounted for.  NCA is one of the few Lakeside charities recognized by Desarrollo y Vinculación con Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil.

A Community Organization. NCA is a volunteer-based, hands-on organization, supported by several local community fund-raising groups and activities. This local community support enables NCA to guarantee that 95% of all donated sponsorship funds are received directly by the students. Local community support helps pay for the NCA Chapala project office and staff.

Personal Sponsors. NCA sponsors are predominantly Canadians and Americans living north of the US / Mexican border, or resident in the Lake Chapala area.  Students’ academic levels range from kindergarten to University.

Group Sponsors. NCA is supported by a number of local and international organizations. These include:

  • The Outreach Arm of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church
  • Lakeside Presbyterian Church Outreach
  • The International Chili Cook-Off (A local annual event)
  • The American Legion Post #7
  • The DAR
  • Your Board Members

How do we work?

Student Evaluation. NCA maintains a Student Support Centre (The Jeanie Swentic Centre for Education) in Chapala. We maintain contact with the local Mexican community and identify families and children who are in need of our services. Profiles are taken, and those who meet our criteria – combining an 8.0 point GPA with low income – are added to our growing list of children seeking sponsors.

Additional Services. Our Chapala office serves as a centre for remedial tuition classes for those students who require extra help. We also provide English classes, and free-of-charge access to the internet for all of our students.

Finding Sponsors. Information about eligible students is made available to all potential sponsors, with but a few waiting to be helped, and some are posted on this website. The children and their situations are featured in local community publications and in the NCA newsletter that we mail or e-mail to our members and potential sponsors. Typically the information NCA provides includes the family social and financial circumstances and the child’s profile and school situation. Using this information we determine the recommended sponsorship level to our existing and new sponsors.

Becoming a Sponsor. Anyone interested in sponsoring a student should call to the numbers indicated in the Contact Us page or via e-mail. NCA will provide access to our files containing the pictures and descriptions of the students available for sponsorship. Additionally, on our website you will find a number of the profiles of a few of these students. For non-Lakeside residence, we can FAX or e-mail this information. All donations, large or small are welcome. A US or Canadian dollar goes a long way in Mexico. Cheques should be made payable to Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities S.A. and checks in pesos made payable to Los Niños de Chapala y Ajijic, A.C mailed to one of the addresses on our Contact US page.