Scholarships for Bolivia Overview

The Scholarships for Bolivia Fund was established at The Resource Foundation to provide need-based financial assistance to college-bound students from the towns of El Puquio and Mizque in Bolivia.

Although Bolivia is one of the richest countries in South America in terms of natural resources, it is also South America’s poorest country. It is home to nearly ten million people representing 30 different ethnic groups, 60% of whom is of indigenous heritage. Most people in Bolivia work as subsistence farmers, miners, small traders and artisans.

El Puquio is a small town located six hours from the nearest city in the Chiquitania region of Santa Cruz. Its residents have no running water or electricity and are mostly subsistence farmers, miners, and small-business owners. The province of Mizque is located in the foothills of the Andes, four hours from the nearest city, Cochabamba. Its inhabitants again, are mostly subsistence farmers and speak Quechua, the indigenous language of the Incas.

Scholarships for Bolivia seeks to recognize, promote, and assist students who excel in the classroom by providing higher education scholarships for students graduating from high school. Local input and collaboration is highly valued and strong partnerships have been established with local non-profits and teachers’ organizations. To date, five students have been awarded one of three different sub-scholarships. The scholarships are managed through Fundación Mares.

John & Evelyn Gaudio Scholarship Fund

The Gaudio Family Scholarship Fund was founded in 2006 by Lauren Gaudio, a Peace Corps volunteer in Santa Cruz. There are three scholarship recipients, all of whom graduated at the top of their high school class.

• Eliana graduated from high school in 2006 and is a 3rd year nursing student.
• Melvin graduated from high school in 2007 and is pursuing a degree in civil engineering. In 2009, he completed a year of mandatory military service, and will resume classes in 2010.
• Asunta graduated high school in 2008 and is the newest recipient. She began her coursework with preparatory classes and will study business administration starting in January 2010.

Susana Rodriguez Scholarship Fund

The Susana Rodriguez Fund was founded in 2008 by three American volunteers working in Mizque, Bolivia, Cooper Swanson and Katie Houk, both Peace Corps volunteers, and Hanna Melnick, a Stride Rite Post-Graduate Public Service Fellow. The fund serves graduates from the Integral Center for Rural Women in Mizque, a unique high school for young women from impoverished communities throughout Bolivia. Its first scholarship recipient is Jhenny Aguilar.

Jhenny was her school’s valedictorian and excelled in public speaking, dance and community work. She is from the highlands of El Alto where her father is a bus driver and her mother sells fruit in the local market. Jhenny will begin medical school in 2009. To learn more about Jhenny, the Integral Center and Mizque, please visit this short (14 minute) documentary. View video