Science Fair 2011

This semester, the College held its science fair in the nearby town of Coroico -- and it was a great success. The day started with a short ceremony in the main square, with opening words from our Bishop Juan Vargas. The judges were professionals from the Ministry of Agriculture and a social project called Why Bolivia.







There were research projects about biotechnology, the vocation of rural high schoolers, fish parasites, coffee nematodes, organic pest control, agrotourism and tourists that visit Coroico, and more.

Visita de USAID

Today USAID's Deputy Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mark Lopes, came to visit the College. He was greeted with students from Afrobolivian communities playing their traditional dance, the saya.




He toured the women's dormitories on Campus Leahy, dormitories that were funded by USAID (through ACDI/VOCA-Bolivia), and listened to the heart-felt stories by students who have received scholarships from USAID.




The day ended with an exposition of projects and products that USAID has supported over the years. Though most of these projects are closing, we are hopeful that support from the U.S. government will continue now that the U.S. and Bolivia have decided to reestablish diplomatic relations.

Ser Boliviano Es

We had a special visitor yesterday, Hugo Miranda, a facilitator from the U.N.-sponsored project Ser Boliviano Es ("Being Bolivian Is"). The project was started to help Bolivians see what they have in common, to insipre a feeling of unity, togetherness in the country.

The facilitator did a workshop about Wikipedia and a contest to encourage Bolivians to start Wikipedia entries about Bolivian people, places and things. Since senior students already write about their communities for their research proposals, many were interested in starting a Wikipedia page about their places of origin.


Photo: Students pose with Hugo Miranda after the workshop on Campus Leahy.

He also held a discussion about what it means to be Bolivian, and what it is like to live together on a campus with students from so many different backgrounds. "It took a while to make friends," said Hilda Pillco, a agronomy senior. "But once we started taking classes together and working toward the same goals, it was easy."

The College is a place where young people learn to bridge cultures, like the campesino culture of their rural communities and the university culture in which they are submersed. But the way the College is organized presents other situations -- like dorm life, like the student-run food cooperatives -- that our students adapt to, giving them skills that go far beyond the technical abilities they get in a classroom.

Vicente Manrique, our newest graduate

Give To The Max Day, an annual fundraiser of the Carmen Pampa Fund, is in two weeks.




You can create positive change here in Bolivia. Your donation will be part of an upward spiral of change, giving a chance to a young Bolivian woman or man who will then multiply that change until many lives are touched.

One such young man is Vicente Manrique who defended his research project today, the 100th student to finish his research project and graduate in the agronomy department. His research was about making infertile land useful again, by planting resistant trees and soil-enriching ground covers. He continued a project started by Veronica Calles, who is now in a Master's program at South Dakota State University with Dr. Paul Johnson.


Photo: One of the plots of land in recovery, planted to pigeon pea and achiote, a tree whose seed is a natural red colorant.

Vicente took a long path to the College, first working for a few years in the city of La Paz at machinery repair and welding before returning home to the tropics of La Paz to be closer to his parents. In his home town he met a friend who was studying at the College. He had a high school teacher who inspired him to be an agronomist, so he went back to school.

And today, many years later, is the day: a student with his wings, ready to leave the nest, spread his wings, and FLY.


Photo: Vicente Manrique and Veronica Calles, the two students who lead the soil recovery project.

The fiesta of Todos Santos

This year we sent the students home to celebrate Todos Santos with their families -- and to recruit students for next school year! Though campus was empty of students, there was plenty going on: the fiesta of Todos Santos is one of the most important of the year for our rural communities.

I put together this short slide show about the goings on of yesterday at the cemetary.



See previous posts about Todos Santos.

Experts left and right!

October was a month of many visitors -- and many of them experts, helping the College where help is needed!

Two Dutch experts from PUM came to help us analyze our hog, meat processing, coffee and vegetable production businesses. These businesses came to be to help the College earn money and serve as a rural business model. These businesses, however, were not working up to speed, so with the help of Mark Versteeg and Henk Faber, we got some good advice about making our businesses more profitable.




Photo: Mark and Henk with the College's driver Salvador.

We were also blessed with the presence of Juan Velasco, the husband of Suzanne Dulle and co-founder of conBolivia. Juan worked with seniors from our Ecotourism program, helping them develop business plans for their graduation requirement, and had lots of good ideas for fundraising.




Photo: Juan Velasco in the classroom.

Thank you to these amazing people and their skills.

Math and Science Fair

There was a math and science fair at the elementary school in Carmen Pampa this Wednesday. Juan Velasco and I wandered over to see what was going on, and we were happy to see all of the young ones doing presentations about what they have been learning. Most impressive to me was a education student from the College, Irma Callisaya, who worked with the kindergarten students to teach math operations.

"The students learn best while playing, so I invented a game where they advance on a board by rolling a die if they answer a math question corectly," she explained. The questions were either simple operations attached to balls that they took out of a box, or story problems chosen from a basket. And these very young kids could do many of the problems!

Our education students are taught to use new knowledge about how young people learn to facilitate that process. And it was obvious on Wednesday that the education department is doing its job: Irma's game was creative and effective.


Photo: Irma and her game, with a girl from the community, Katherine Aliaga.

Confirmation 2011

Confirmation is an important event at the College: students profundizar their faith, and becore more fully integrated into our faith community.
The students presented the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit as part of the ceremony: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.

Our Bishop in the Diocese of Coroico, Juan Vargas, lead the mass.

Congratulations to them!

More of the fiesta!

Lots of excitement the past few days -- sports, cultural events and fun! The first morning was a new event, cycling.

Long jump was a new event, too.

Soccer is the perennial fave.

There was a distance run, too, about 10 km.

Futbal de salón (small-court soccer) is a very common sport at the College.

Three sisters played futbal de salón, from different majors (agronomy and vet/animal science)... and they are still smiling!

The students demonstrate incredible abilities in poetry recitation, theater, singing, lip-syncing, and more. The judges come from nearby Coroico.

Everyone eats lunch together.

And there is lots of support for the players from each department.

It has been an incredible week so far!

First day of the fiesta

Today, the first day of the fiesta universitaria, we had a mass then the College admimistration competed in fútsal (small-court soccer), basketball and soccer. It was a beautiful day, and a great start to a full week of activities. Lots more posts to come!

Photo: Father Freddy preaches to the student body.

Photo: The Campus Manning women's fútsal team.

Urpuma

Near the College is a very old "Inca" trail called the Camino de Choro. It starts far above the tree line at 14,500 feet above sea level, and descends over 3 days into lush cloud forest at about 4,000 feet. Toward the end of the trail is a tiny community called Sandillani where there is a community-run ecolodge called Urpuma. That lodge is managed by our student Vidal Pérez, a young man from the local community.

Photo: Urpuma lodge in Sandillani on the Inca Trail (photo by René Callisaya)

The ecolodge was built with local materials by the 25 families that live in nearby El Chairo, with support from the United Nations, Conservation International, the local NGOs Biota and Prodener, the state university in La Paz and the National Park Service (Urpuma is in the Cotapata National Park). It has 30 beds and a camping area, and electricity provided by a water-powered generator.

Photo: Student Vidal Pérez with the College's visiting professionals Yves Comont, Hye-Jung Park, Kate Fuller, Danielle Lang and Francesca Beninati.

Though built with best intentions, many community-run tourism enterprises like Urpuma flounder due to a lack of capacity in the local community, generally farmers with no experience attending to tourists. Community members often receive some training, but it is not enough to respond to the needs of tourists from all over the world.

This is one way that the College is responding to the need for capacity-building in rural communities: providing young people with skills that can make a community-run business like Urpuma successful. Because when our students can create success in their rural communities, the College is successful, too. Felicidades, Vidal -- y ¡adelante!

Elevator talk

Photo: Research proposal writing class, agronomy and veterinary majors

I teach the research proposal writing class to agronomy and veterinary students at the College, and one of the activities that we do during the semester is an "elevator talk", a 60 second talk to convince someone in an imaginary elevator to finance their research. It is a lot of fun! and helps the students to frame their research in a way this is concise and understandable to every-day people. Here is my student Guillermo talking to his "Godfather" about his proposed research.

FONADAL in Bolivia

Monday the College received the National Director of the European Union's development agency, Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Alternativo (FONADAL), Victor Hugh Almanza. And he came with good news: since the College promotes on-the-ground, grassroots development, FONADAL wants to support the College with business development support and opportunities for students to help develop projects in their communities. Thank you, FONADAL!

Photo: Director General Father Freddy, FONADAL Director Victor Hugo Almanza with three co-workers and Jhonny Torrez from Radio Coroico.

Visit from Cross International

Yesterday and today the College was honored to receive Claudio and Stephanie from Cross International, a Christian relief and development ministry that supports good works all over the world. We are pleased to be a recipient of their efforts!

They visited the student-run food program that Cross Int'l supports, and visited some local students in their homes. Here Stephanie interviews an agronomy graduate from the College, Gerónimo Álvarez.




Thank you, Cross International!

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I visited the Cross International office last month -- and they featured us on their blog this month!

Engineers Without Borders

This week, the South Dakota State University chapter of Engineers Without Borders arrived on campus. They are here to help the College and the community analyze and find solutions for problems with water. Welcome!


Photo: SDSU's Engineers Without Borders chapter, lead by Professor Bruce Berdanier.

Day of the Bolivian Farmer

Today is the day that indigenous farming communities honor the role they played -- and play -- in the development of the country. From the War of Independence, to the Agrarian Reform, to the establishment of the first indigenous school of Warisata, to the foundation of the College in Carmen Pampa, farmers come from all around the area came to Carmen Pampa to remember the sacrifices they make for a better life for their children and their communities.




And it centers on education. Students recite poems to the campesino and to the indigenous leaders who helped them win freedoms. Whole communities parade with the Bolivian and the Indigenous Nation flag, the wiphala. Whole classes at the school organize dances that remember Bolivia's history and native customs.




Our students, products of this evolution toward ever more justice and equality, particiate with pride.





It is an amazing day.

Classroom accommodations for special needs children

Student Carla Taboada defended her graduation project yesterday, an analysis of how elementary school teachers in our municipality accommodate children with special needs. She found that most teachers have special needs children in their classrooms, and modify their lesson plans so that these students can participate in classes with their peers instead of being isolated at home or in a special classroom. She found that the biggest barrier to more acceptance of special needs children in the classroom is social prejudice, including shame on the part of the parents. Another factor that makes this integration difficult is the frequency that teachers are moved from school to school.


Photo: Carla presents her research.

Carla is part of the family is many senses of the word: she grew up in Carmen Pampa, the daughter of the head of maintenance on our upper campus, Campus Leahy. She also studied at the College, and now has a son of her own, a future student of ours!

Photo: Carla poses with her family and defense committee.

Carla, we wish you much success!

Inaugural mass

Photo: Students line up for the flag-raising before the mass.

The inaugural mass for this semester was today. The bishop reminded the students of staying faithful to their dreams, even when things seem difficult: it is making it through the difficult times that proves our grit. Keep us in mind and prayer as we start the new semester.


Photo: Student Sergio from the agronomy department presents the bishop with a candle for the altar, as we are all called to be a light for the world.

More sign-ups

Second day of sign-up for classes! And the rain continues as students trickle in for the new semester...

New semester

Today is the first day of sign-up for classes -- and how incredible to see the students, new and old, with their incredible energy and excitement about a new semester. Even the rain doesn't dampen their spirits (though it does muddy our shoes!).