Tutoring Program - Redefining the Odds

Online Tutoring Program is Born

In some of the countries where we serve, the government will cover the cost of tuition for orphans to attend university, but they have only one chance to pass the entrance exam. An Allies volunteer, who was also a university professor, realized that most of the students in the orphanages were not capable of scoring high enough to qualify. Unfortunately, orphans and foster families can’t afford professional tutors to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.

With the help of this professor, Allies created an innovative program utilizing an online learning platform. Through this program, high school students are tutored weekly by certified professors in a virtual classroom setting with the goal of helping them pass the entrance exam.

The Allies Tutoring Program was launched in 2015 with four orphans. Allies paid professors to teach orphans online in subjects like biology, geography, math, Russian, history, chemistry, and physics. Three of the students, who were 11th graders, passed the entrance exam and enrolled in universities.

The program has since grown tremendously. On average, the tutoring program helped double test scores of enrolled students, and there is a 100 percent success rate of orphans passing the entrance exam!

Early Success: Hope After Tragedy

Masha was one of the first participants in the tutoring program. Both her parents died by the time she was 11, and she was placed in an orphanage. As she got older, she discovered helping people made her happy and felt called to study medicine. But she started the medical program late and had problems with her academic performance. She couldn’t pass the entrance exam and going to medical school seemed like a pipe dream.

But then a group of Allies volunteers started visiting the orphanage where Masha lived. She said those meetings were a real emotional outlet for her and so many orphans. Masha mentioned to volunteers that she wanted to become a doctor — and that conversation changed everything. She joined the tutoring program and in 2016, she entered a medical university. She is currently a nurse in an intensive care unit and in her fifth year of school.

Read more tutoring program success stories here

Texas Supporter Holds Annual Bake Sale for Program

Michael Henshaw, a long-time supporter in Texas who visited Russia with Allies, came up with a creative way to raise money for orphans to receive professional tutoring. In 2013, he held his first donation-only bake sale. The stars of the bake sale? His famous cheesecakes, that thanks to generous donors, have sold for as much as $1,000 each!

His first bake sale raised $700, and he has since broken records every year. Now, he raises over $15,000 each year for the Allies Tutoring Program!

How YOU Can Be a Hero

The need is great to help even more orphans. Just $52 a month provides professional tutoring for an orphan. That small amount is all it takes to launch a child into a promising future by making these important connections possible. Becoming a monthly donor or giving a one-time gift can change lives!

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