One of the best ways for Sustainable Bolivia to facilitate a sustainable and just future in Cochabamba is investment in human capacity: education, opening opportunities, and creating space for collaboration. Not only do we provide support and experience to our partner organizations through volunteer projects, we seek to support the potential of local youth through individual scholarships for higher education. Today we are asking for your donation to support eight youth recipients of the SB Scholarship program. We have set an ambitious goal to raise $3,000 from individual donations during the month of April. During April, Sustainable Bolivia will match every dollar of your donation up to a total of $3,000 for a grand total of at least $6,000 to be dedicated towards student scholarships.
Many of the young people that Sustainable Bolivia serves through our partner organizations are unable to receive a higher education degree as it is financially unattainable. Financial aid and scholarships are extremely limited in Bolivia, thus many students never have the opportunity to realize their full academic and professional potential. This situation leads to a cycle of poverty where individuals from lower economic backgrounds are never able to attend university and must accept lower paying jobs. Many of their peers in similar social and economic situations live on the streets or become involved with drugs. The SB Scholarship program seeks an alternative path to poverty by rewarding students who are willing to overcome their tough circumstances to better themselves and their community.
100% of your tax-deductible donation goes directly to a scholarship recipient to cover school fees, books, and school supplies, and transportation. In addition to covering costs of studying, SB scholarship recipients have the support of our organization to encourage their success: each student has monthly check-ins in our office and is required to maintain a minimum grade level every semester. Of their own initiative, scholarship recipients have started to meet together at the SB office to encourage each other to succeed, to practice public speaking, and to provide each other with peer support.
It is a privilege for us to work with these young people, and I encourage you to read about their individual stories here. It’s also important for them to know that their opportunity to study comes from many past volunteers like you, who believe in their potential to better themselves and their communities.
Can you make a donation of $15 or more to support these students? Please help us to reach our goal by clicking on the application above.
We’ll also include a list of volunteer-donors in our next SB newsletter!
