An exciting week

Last week was a doozie! Sue Wheeler and Joel Mugge were here from the Carmen Pampa Fund, along with Ann Leahy from the Carmen Pampa Fund board, we had a new graduate, and a UAC grad came back to help our students start businesses.


Last week was a series of meetings about how to better coordinate fundraising at the college. The Carmen Pampd Fund, representatives from the college and some other college supporters met to talk about where we want to be and how to get there. It was an intense week, developing strategies about how to make our work known so that people will support our work.



Photo: (front) Obispo of Coroico Msgr. Juan Vargas, Vice Director Hugh Smeltekop, Former Bolivian Ambassador to the U.S. Jorge Crespo, college Director Father Freddy del Villar, CPF Grant Coordinator Joel Mugge; (back) Sister Jean Morrissey m.f.i.c., CPF Exec. Director Sue Wheeler, CPF Board President Ann Leahy, college representative and Education Department Director Andrés Pardo, CPF Liaison Sarah Mechtenberg.


Mid-week, Danitza Ramos, an agronomy student, defended her research project about pollinators of cacao flowers, discovering a relationship between the presence of 2 tiny flies and cacao pod development. The more of these two species of flies present, the more developed pod on the tree -- and the higher the yield of chocolate beans for the farmer. She is recommending to farmers that they keep decaying banana trunks in their fields, where the flies spend part of their life cycle.

Photo: Danitza stands with Ann Leahy and Sue Wheeler after her successful defense (she got a 96%, the second student to graduate with high honors this year!)


Later the same week, Dr. Miguel Quisbert came to talk to students about starting businesses. Miguel graduated last year, and now works for a company called Nueva Economía that helps people develop business plans. The company works mostly with small farmers who become the generators of economic development in the countryside, and help end poverty that way. He is now helping students at the college to develop business plans and be part of this movement; at the same time, students in the agronomy, veterinary science and tourism departments can use their business plans to graduate as an alternative to the research project requirement.



Photo: Miguel speaks to a group of students at the college interested in starting a business.


Another great week at the college. Thank you to all who make our work possible.