Expanding Opportunities for Higher Education in the Yungas
(Link to Assistance to Carmen Pampa University Project Description)
Since it was founded in 1993, the University of Carmen Pampa (UAC-CP) has been a catalyst for change in the Yungas region, providing the opportunity for a quality education to residents of six provinces in the department of La Paz, who previously had faced too many barriers to continue into higher education. In 2003, the UAC-CP received recognition in the Best of the Best Report from the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs as one of the top seven initiatives worldwide in eradicating poverty, based on the innovation, sustainability and effectiveness of its program and its contribution to reducing rural poverty.
ACDI/VOCA, as part of the Yungas Community Alternative Development Fund (YCADF), financed by USAID/Bolivia, has been funding a scholarship program at the UAC-CP since 2004. Through the YCADF, ACDI/VOCA works closely with local communities in the provinces of Nor Yungas, Sud Yungas and Caranavi, using its successful community-driven approach to offer sustainable alternatives to coca production. Education is widely recognized as a key contributor to achieving lasting social change by increasing the opportunities for young people, providing hope for the future and introducing fresh knowledge and expertise.
Through the provision of a sub grant, the YCADF provides for 50 full scholarships per year, over a two-year period to UAC-CP students from the Yungas. The scholarships support the students´ academic studies, which includes room, board, enrolment, health insurance, transport and other incidental expenditures. Furthermore, included within the sub-grant budget is funding for research, institutional strengthening, information systems support and equipment for the laboratories. Students are also actively encouraged to participate in sports and leisure pursuits to ensure a wellrounded education, encompassing their physical, mental, academic and personal development.
Upon graduating, these future leaders are encouraged to return to their home towns in order to apply their new knowledge and technical skills, and to contribute to improving the quality of life for their families and communities in the region.
The scholarship program provides the opportunity for selected students to gain a high-quality education and graduate with a bachelors degree in one of four principal areas of study; nursing, agronomy, veterinary medicine and primary education, embarking on a four -year study program. Prospective students are selected on the basis of a combined criteria of academic potential and financial need, and therefore, through the program, talented and committed young people are given an opportunity to continue their education. Richard Agramont, age 24, a fourth-year student originally from the community of Machacamarca in Irupana, and recipient of a YCADF scholarship, comments:I have five siblings and the scholarship has helped me a lot because we do not have the money to send me to university.
Although the director of the UAC-CP and the program coordinator directly manage the scholarship program, ACDI/VOCA has dedicated a full-time institutional strengthening specialist to provide financial, administrative and technical assistance as required. In addition ACDI/VOCA staff participate in the selection, monitoring and evaluation of the program through the institution´s scholarship committee.
As part of their studies, students focus on research linked to identifying and seeking solutions to key problems common to their communities, and are also required to conduct practical work on campus, which includes assisting with maintaining the infrastructure of the university. Furthermore, through their academic programs, the students and teaching staff provide development services to benefit surrounding communities in the locality through extension programs, bringing widespread benefits in both the short-and long-term. For example, those studying nursing may go out in the community and participate in outreach programs with groups on preventative health education or work directly with the infirm. Those qualifying as experts in the field of agronomy may work with small local enterprises, contributing their knowledge on how to achieve market success and to improve production of goods.
Based on the success of the UAC-CP scholarship model, a similar scholarship program is poised to commence this year in the Chapare region, located within the department of Cochabamba. This program, in addition to a new five-year sub-grant to continue the UAC-CP scholarship program, will be funded under the Integrated Community Development Fund (ICDF), currently being implemented by ACDI/VOCA and funded by USAID/Bolivia. It is hoped that through investing in the education and formation of future leaders, benefits will be brought to these rural communities, improving the quality of life and their potential for economic development.
