Recycling

There is a foundation in La Paz dedicated to helping communities recycle, Fundación para el Reciclaje (FUNDARE). They provide information about recycling, help you organize your efforts, and actually pick up your recyclables and give you educational supplies in return.




Last Tuesday, Mario Aguayo from FUNDARE's Programa Hormiga came to give a talk and set up the program. It is part of a bigger effort to keep campus and the community clean, lead by Sister Jean Morrissey and a small group of dedicated students and community members. A group of students at Siena College and the Universidad Privada Boliviana are also contributing to the effort as part of their on-line Rural Sustainability in Latin America class.




Keeping communities clean requires a lot of education, reminding people of their history of love for Mother Earth and respect for themselves. I remember the Do Not Litter campaigns of the 1970s in the U.S., signs encouraging people to report cars who throw trash from their windows on the highway, and Iron Eyes Cody in the Keep America Beautiful public service announcement shedding a tear because of the pollution.

It is a process. But it is one that we are doing full-force right now at the College. Keep us in mind as we raise consciousness.

Great guest speaker

Bolivia is full of incredible professionals who want to share their experiences with young people excited about change. I have come to this conclusion recently as the College puts together a speaker series of influential people in Bolivia. Our first speaker is a testament to this.

Mr. Osvaldo Vega de la Torre is the retired Chancellor of the Universidad Tecnológica Boliviana, a former Director of Business Administration at the Catholic University of Bolivia and the state university Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, and author of some important books about the Bolivian university system.

He gave a talk last night to students working on their research proposals, undergraduate theses that are required for graduation in most majors. "The key is choosing a topic you love, because it will dominate your life for a long time," he said.


Photo: Mr. Vega de la Torre and Dr. Claudia Cerruto with her Research Proposal Writing class.

This morning, he gave a workshop about the statistical analysis program SPSS, with a real example of how students and professors perceive the role of university professors.

We are glad that professional Bolivians are contributing to the College, and look forward to more collaboration with Mr. Vega de la Torre, and other Bolivians with so much to share.

The Alumni Come Together

Yesterday, 30 alumni of the College had their second meeting of the Alumni Association that they formed in December of last year. They debated the role that the alumni can play at the College, and proposed bylaws.


Photo: President of the Association Javier Álvarez leads the second meeting of the College's Alumni Association.

"We can do a lot to improve the quality of education at the College," said the Association's president Javier Álvarez. "Offering internships, promoting job opportunities, giving talks at the College, helping current students in need, working to promote the good name of our university home."

We are glad to support this graduate initiative, and wish them much success at their next meeting in May.

Betty Pari

Tourism student Betty Pari defended her research project last week, an inventory and evaluation of the restaurants in our nearby town, Coroico.

"We have some great places in Coroico," she said, "but we have some work to do, too. Some training in customer service and organization is needed."

Betty's two sisters and brother all graduated from the College. "My parents' dream that their children all become professional became real today," said Betty's sister Wilma, between tears.



Photo (L to R): Vice Director Hugh Smeltekop, Director General Fr. Freddy del Villar, new grad Betty Pari, Ecotourism Director María Esther Estévez, Betty's sister Wilma, and ecotourism professor Grecia Blanco.

¡Felicidades, Betty!

Another visit from the U.S. Department of State

We were fortunate to receive another visit from the U.S. Department of State, this time from Mr. Kevin Whitaker, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs. He came to Bolivia to negotiate the terms of the agreement between the U.S. and Bolivian governments. Their Joint Committee released this statement today.

The visit started with the arrival of the visitors to the sounds of the Saya, the traditional Afro-Bolivian dance performed by our students. The visit included two Bolivian Vice Ministers.


Photo: Afro-Bolivian students at the College perform the Saya for the guests as they arrive.


Photo: Director of the College Fr. Freddy introduces two community members as the visitors listen. (L to R: Fr. Freddy del Villar, Bolivian Vice Minister of Coca and Rural Development Dionicio Nuñez, USAID/Bolivia Director Wayne Nilsestuen, Chargé d'Affaires John S. Creamer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere Kevin Whitaker, USAID Bolivia Officer Gretchen Ruethling, Economic Officer Geoffrey Schadrack and Narcotics and Law Enforcement Director Mark Wells)

The officials from the U.S. and Bolivian governments had a private meeting, then met with producers from all over the region.

After that, the College had a lunch where some students and graduates spoke about their experiences. "One area where you can't go wrong is investing in people," said Mr. Whitaker, responding to the students' comments.


Photo: Agronomy student Myrna Torrez talks to the visitors during lunch.

We are glad for the visit, and happy to represent the good works of the U.S. in Bolivia.

Pig extension

The College does workshops for many groups -- here a senior in our vet department, Raymundo Semo (on left, blue shirt), is holding a training for farmers from the community of San Jerónimo who are going to start raising hogs. College graduate Jhonny Ramírez (on right, green jacket) is leading the group.




As farmers start to diversify with new activities, the quality of life for the families increases -- and we close in on our mission of improving lives directly though extension programs.

Visit from the Department of State

Today we were honored with a visit from Simon Henshaw, Director of the Office of Andean Affairs of the U.S. State Department. His visit was to catch up on Bolivian affairs and to see what the U.S. government has accomplished -- and we are proud to be considered one of their successes.

Mr. Henshaw, here with education student Moeni Rodríguez, toured the new women's dormitory that USAID funded...



...and met with other students on campus. Here he is with an education student Eva Álvarez and USAID/Bolivia Director Wayne Nilsestuen.



We are grateful for the help of USAID, a helping hand from all of the American people.

Inaugural mass of 2012

Today was the inaugural mass for the new semester. The president of the Catholic University of Bolivia, Fr. Hans van den Berg, was the special guest. The bishop reminded everyone present that we are all missionaries, called to serve God through our actions, in search of justice for humankind, each with his of her special gifts.




It was an incredible day -- all of the students are back, and excited about becoming professionals.

New semester 2012

The new semester is upon us!

Wednesday was our faculty meeting, where new and old faculty meet to talk about the new semester. Here Dr. Martin Morales, a past director of the vet department, talks to the faculty about what it means to be a member of the family of the College.




Today and Monday are registration days. Here students line up to get registered in the system...






...and administrators get them all signed up!




We ask for your thoughts and prayers these days as everyone comes back to college.

New faces for 2012

With every year comes changes, and this year brought about a big one: four of our five majors have new directors!


Photo (L to R): Andrés Pardo is still head of the Education program, and Nicanor Cuba (Agronomy), María Esther Estévez (Ecotourism), Patricia Meneses (Veterinary Science) and Angelica Quisbert (Nursing) are new directors.

None of the new directors is a stranger to Carmen Pampa. Two of the new directors, Patricia and Angelica, are grads of the College. "It feels good to be a bigger part of the family at the College," says Angelica. "My parents passed away when I was in my second year of nursing school here, and this became my family. Teaching here opened doors for me, and now, as director of nursing, I can contribute even more."

Nicanor has taught at the College for years, and María Esther has taught here since 2009.

The outgoing directors oversaw incredible growth in their departments, with increasing numbers of students, and more qualified professors. At an evening gathering to say "gracias" for their service, former veterinary science director Martin said, "I wish all of you much luck. It won't always be easy. But you will grow tremendously, and find great satisfaction."

Luis Miranda

Today veterinary student Luis Miranda defended his graduation project, the use of whey as a supplement to piglet feed. He found that using whey increased the profitability of production, and decreased diarrhea.

Luis has been working for the far-off municipality of Alto Beni, helping the local government write grants to make their rural communities more successful. This is a very important job: most rural development done by local government relies on grants from the government and non-governmental organizations, but most rural municipalities do not have people capable of writing and managing grants.


Photo: New graduate Luis Miranda poses with his father after his successful defense.

When he spoke after receiving his grade, he said, "Sister Damon got all of us together at the end of our year of pre-university studies, and we all thanked her. But she told us, 'I appreciate your thanks, but what I really want is for you to become professionals -- that will be your real thanks to me.'" Well, today she got her wish with Luis Miranda.

Alumni Association

Sarah and I have held alumni reunions in the past, but the one we organized yesterday in Caranavi is likely to be our last -- because the graduated decided yesterday to form an Alumni Association and organize their own meetings from now on!


Photo: Sister Christine Cullen, MFIC, joined the group. Sister Chris helped build the original structures at the College in 1993.

After a dip in the pool and lunch from the grill, veterinary grad Dani Chambilla proposed the association to the group, which quickly approved the idea, and elected officers to get a plan together.


Photo: New President of the Alumni Association Javier Álvarez with his officers Zenón Maquera, Dani Chambilla, Pastor Acho, Efraín Ajnota and Félix Bohorquez.

The new association will help us immensely with contacting grads about job and educational opportunities, channel support to the College, and keep the family together. The next meeting is planned for March, so soon there will be even more to report!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we had friends over to the house for our annual Thanksgiving feast, in thanks for the wonderful friendships we have here in Bolivia.





A happy Thanksgiving to all -- though we celebrate it a bit late, the sentiment is there: all of us here in Carmen Pampa give thanks for the incredible support of all of our bienhechores, contributing with funds, prayer, encouraging words and love that stretches from across the globe!

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.