In December of 2008, President Evo Morales established the National Service of Competency Certification. Under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, this entity gives certificates to workers recognizing outstanding skills gained in the School of Life.
This weekend, a graduate of the College, Miguel Ángel Sánchez, stopped by the house, and explained that he and another four graduates are heading up the section that certifies farmers (and ranchers) in Bolivia. "This is a huge help for rural people," he explained, "because it gives them easier access to funds from the government's rural aid program."
The process requires that farmers apply at a government office, then have an interview with a certifier. The last step is a field evaluation where the certifier evaluates whether the person has the base of practical knowledge that is expected of a successful farmer.
"The certification can also be used for credit for a higher degree," Miguel told me. "A lot of older farmers are taking advantage of it. It is an outward sign that traditional knowledge is appreciated and valued." That is something in a country where as recently as 1952 farmers were considered unintelligent, good only for hard labor as indentured servants under the hacienda system.
It is sometimes difficult for students to find work in the place they were born, so many look for opportunities that impact their communities in other ways. These graduates are impacting rural areas by granting certificates -- and the means to a higher quality of life -- to community members like their parents and grandparents. Others with with micro-financing banks that get capital into the hands of enterprising farmers. Yet others work with NGOs that empower rural people. The spirit of our mission lives in these young people, and it inspires hope.
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