Three more grads!

Last week the College graduated three more students -- two from our little community of Carmen Pampa, and one from around the corner. Juan Ortega researched the incidence of parasites in elementary school students in his home community of Nogalani, on the other side of Uchumachi mountain. He discovered that 100% of the students had at least one parasite (most commonly the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides), and around half the students had two or more parasites. These infections weaken students, divert nutrients from their bodies, and make learning more difficult. Treatment is easy, and very inexpensive.

Photo: Juan with his parents, wife and son. 

Deysi Tintaya, daughter of José Tintaya, one of the men from Carmen Pampa who supported the College from its start, presented a business plan for egg production in the community of Carmen Pampa.

Photo: Deysi with her parents, José and Gertrudis, and Godparents, Filipe and Juana. 

Julio Monrroy, son of Donato Monrroy, another great supporter of the College since its founding, presented a plan to raise edible snails in Carmen Pampa. Both of these plans take advantage of an initiative of the Bolivian government, the Banco de Desarrollo Productivo, to give low-interest loans (6.0%) to farmers who demonstrate viable agricultural projects in rural areas.

Photo: Julio, flanked by his wife Maritza (a graduate of our vet school) and his mother and father, Goya and Donato. 

 At the end of Julio's presentation, Donato spoke touchingly of the mission of the College, and his satisfaction at his son's success. He concluded his comments with the saying, "Soy rico, pero sin plata" ("I am wealthy, but without money").

It reminds me of something that Sister Damon used to say to all of us: poverty is not about money, it is about options. When you have more options, you are rich because you can decide how to live, and you choose to live according to your values. The College offers options to the poor -- and those options make so much more possible.