New and exciting changes at www.Charity-Bolivia.org
Soon www.charity-bolivia.org will be undergoing some minor yet major changes. Cosmetically the website will remain in the same style and beautiful design that Gertjan has created and we've all come to love. Substance wise it will begin to change quite dramatically. Carlye and I along with my folks (Bruce and Rita Crawford) and Carlye’s brother (Brent Bates) have started a sister organization in the U.S., also called Charity Bolivia. We will coordinate our online fundraising and awareness efforts with Claire, Gertjan, and everyone who comprises and supports Charity Bolivia England/Holland to maximize the benefits for Colonia Ecologica. So some updates and changes will take place to facilitate the efforts of the US based charity as well.
The idea of Charity Bolivia U.S. is to raise funds for a post-secondary education program for the children of Colonia Ecologic. Simply, this means we’re sending kids to university as they graduate from secondary school. As of now there are two kids who begin university in June, siblings named Susy and Roger. This past week they found apartments (single rooms with shared baths) and furniture to fill them near campus, which is in the heart of downtown Cochabamba. Keep an eye on the blog as we’ll be posting profiles of Susy and Roger and a few pictures as well. It has been a lot of fun being able to help these two young adults gain independence. They are excited for the opportunity to study and be on their own. Although, I imagine, living on their own won’t be as easy as it seems after being surrounded by other kids their whole lives.
Next year Favio returns from a year of volunteer service and begins university as well. Although there are several vocational schools for graphic design, the best is a private university called UPB, Universidad Privado Boliviano. He understands and has accepted that the school is probably out of price range but we’d like to raise the funds to enable his dreams of studying graphic design there. He has a natural and gifted artistic ability that is raw and would easily become professional with a little instruction and guidance.
Also, Carmen (the mother) is hoping to return to university as well. She hopes to earn a dual degree in teaching and child psychology in order to better serve and help the kids at Colonia. This should be manageable as the costs of only tuition at the public university are fairly low. We’ll post some examples of expenses as www.charity-bolivia.org is updated.
Then, of course, there is the never ending flow of kids that will continue to come through Colonia Ecologica throughout the future. Hopefully, as the kids graduate from college and enter careers they will begin to give back to Colonia Ecologica financially and experientially making the project self sufficient and allowing them to operate without outside assistance. Which means all of us will someday be able to assist other rewarding projects here in Bolivia. But that is a long way off. For now we make sure that there is enough financial support to keep two kids living independently and in school.
The idea of Charity Bolivia U.S. is to raise funds for a post-secondary education program for the children of Colonia Ecologic. Simply, this means we’re sending kids to university as they graduate from secondary school. As of now there are two kids who begin university in June, siblings named Susy and Roger. This past week they found apartments (single rooms with shared baths) and furniture to fill them near campus, which is in the heart of downtown Cochabamba. Keep an eye on the blog as we’ll be posting profiles of Susy and Roger and a few pictures as well. It has been a lot of fun being able to help these two young adults gain independence. They are excited for the opportunity to study and be on their own. Although, I imagine, living on their own won’t be as easy as it seems after being surrounded by other kids their whole lives.
Next year Favio returns from a year of volunteer service and begins university as well. Although there are several vocational schools for graphic design, the best is a private university called UPB, Universidad Privado Boliviano. He understands and has accepted that the school is probably out of price range but we’d like to raise the funds to enable his dreams of studying graphic design there. He has a natural and gifted artistic ability that is raw and would easily become professional with a little instruction and guidance.
Also, Carmen (the mother) is hoping to return to university as well. She hopes to earn a dual degree in teaching and child psychology in order to better serve and help the kids at Colonia. This should be manageable as the costs of only tuition at the public university are fairly low. We’ll post some examples of expenses as www.charity-bolivia.org is updated.
Then, of course, there is the never ending flow of kids that will continue to come through Colonia Ecologica throughout the future. Hopefully, as the kids graduate from college and enter careers they will begin to give back to Colonia Ecologica financially and experientially making the project self sufficient and allowing them to operate without outside assistance. Which means all of us will someday be able to assist other rewarding projects here in Bolivia. But that is a long way off. For now we make sure that there is enough financial support to keep two kids living independently and in school.
