Ashinaga supports orphaned children who wish to continue their education but face financial difficulties. It offers scholarships in the form of interest-free loans for attendance at high school, college and university, or vocational schools. In 2007, for the first time since ASHINAGA began its survey, the average income of families headed by single mothers fell below 30 percent of that of two-parent households. Against this backdrop, the volume of scholarships has been increasing. This is particularly notable in the case of college and university students, to whom the value of scholarships has increased by 50% over the last five years. The total amount that Ashinaga distributed in scholarships in 2006 exceeded the amount of donations it received. Due to this lack of funds, although we ensure that all qualified high school applicants receive scholarships, we are currently unable to offer scholarships to all applicants for college and university.
