92% of Bolivian women say they wish they could study more
Educating women confers many benefits to society, including culture and climate resilience, improved health, and poverty reduction.
Our Scholars are pursuing their dreams and helping create a stronger, more united, and more resilient Chaco region. Over the long term, we believe the Fund’s network of supported women will aid the region, the country, and the world.
Our Scholarships
The Community Leaders Scholarship (Pueblo Libre) is meant to unlock opportunities for young women from Agua Blanca and its surrounding communities, Gran Chaco Province, to access higher education. Pueblo Libre is built on community partnerships involving school administrators, community leaders and parents. Together, we aim to create conditions for scholars’ personal and professional growth, prioritizing their needs and balancing their connection to family, community, and land.
The Indigenous Leaders Scholarship (Yaiko Avei Iyambae) serves young women from the Guaraní community of Chimeo, Gran Chaco Province. The Guaraní are one of 37 recognized indigenous groups in the plurinational state of Bolivia and the largest in the Chaco. Yaiko Avei Iyambae is meant to address systemic inequalities in education access, as rural indigenous women from communities like Chimeo have the lowest educational attainment in Bolivia.
Our scholarships unlock educational opportunities by covering scholars’ essential costs, including tuition, room and board, books and materials. In addition to payments, each scholar is supported with:
– A laptop computer
– Professional development and training opportunities
– Mentorship
– Guarani language support
– Leadership training
Scholars engage in reciprocity by offering career tutoring to high schoolers in their communities.
Chaco Fund scholarships support young women from the Santa Rosa de Agua Blanca and Mendez Arcos de Chimeo high schools throughout their higher education journeys. Two scholars are selected each year based on their exceptional academic achievement, vision towards service, track record of leadership, clarity of professional goals, and with consideration of each family’s situation. Scholars select a university and academic program of their choice, and the Chaco Fund supports them for up to six years as they pursue their degree.
