Have 2 sons but can only send one to college.

I am a Portuguese mother of 2 boys and I live in Portugal (a small country on the western corner of Europe) which is going through a huge financial crisis and that is why our wages have been diminishing drastically. In my country fundraising is very rare and it is only for situations of extreme poverty.

My situation is that of a mother who has 2 sons and can only afford to send one to college / University. I’m a teacher (my salary is about 1.150 netto a month) and my husband who works in construction gets a bit less than me. This is our only income. Our boys are good students: one is 14 and the other 16. The oldest in 2 years will have finished High school / Secondary School. How can I choose between 2 sons who deserves an education and who doesn’t? I can’t and this is tormenting me. We can’t work 2 jobs here because the unemployment rate is very high. The oldest boy can’t find a summer job either because those jobs are given to adults who have families to support. My oldest boy, David dreams about studying science or medicine abroad. His preference goes to an American University because they prepare students really well but this is absolutely impossible for us. He would like to be a volunteer later to give back to people in need. I love his generosity and it breaks my heart to force him to give up on his dream. However, if I make a huge effort for David, I won’t have any savings for my youngest one. Could you give me any ideas or suggestions, please.

I’ve never asked for money but I’ll do it for my boys. They deserve and I believe there are good people in the world with big hearts.

Thank you for reading me and helping in any way you can.

Paula Rodrigues