21 young Colombian university students, children of vulnerable entrepreneurs assisted by Bancamía, were received in audience by Queen Letizia of Spain this Monday at the Palacio de la Zarzuela, as part of the ‘Transformando Realidades’ scholarship program awarded by BBVA, Bancamía and the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, which allows them to pursue a professional career.
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The scholarships, a Bancamía initiative, cover university tuition and academic expenses for young people until they finish their studies. In its three versions, the scholarship has received close to 3,000 nominations from more than 320 municipalities in the country. myn the last call, 72 percent were women micro-entrepreneurs, 69 percent of them identified themselves as mothers head of the household and 84 percent live in conditions of economic vulnerability.
One of the scholarship recipients who attended the meeting at the Palacio de la Zarzuela is Norma Dalieth Uriana, 18 years old, belonging to the Wayúu indigenous community, who will begin the second semester of Economics at the Universidad del Norte, Located in Barranquilla.
About her experience with this study opportunity, she assured that: “This scholarship really transforms realities and it has transformed mine. I am a Wayúu indigenous person and it is very difficult for my community to progress. New doors have been opened for me, to learn and improve my life and that of my family”, she has affirmed.
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These young people have overcome difficult situations since their childhood. An example is Deiber Liberna, from a family displaced by violence, in Santa Rosa del Sur, a municipality in the department of Bolívar, who today is already studying psychology. Another is Doris Adriana Contreras, a mother who is the head of a household who has finished high school this year and thanks to the scholarship she will begin to study Law.
To continue providing opportunities, BBVAMF, Bancamía and BBVA have expanded university scholarships for children of vulnerable entrepreneurs to more than 100.
Time / Courteous
Other accompanying persons, also children of vulnerable micro-entrepreneurs assisted by Bancamía, mostly live in remote rural areas with little chance of studying, some of them from indigenous families, displaced by violence, victims of the conflict, with reintegrated parents, in situations of poverty and mothers head of household. They have all been very proud to represent their family and the country in this Hearing with Doña Letizia.
Carlos Torres Vila, president of BBVA, said that “Education is an engine for development and is key to the advancement of individuals and society. It is a door to opportunities and a force, perhaps the most important, to correct inequalities”.
To continue providing opportunities, the entities that are part of this program expanded the university scholarships for children of vulnerable entrepreneurs to more than 100.
Javier Flores, general director of the FMBBVA, appointed by him, who isThese scholarships “contribute to achieving a more equitable and prosperous society because education allows people to advance individually and to the development of countries in general”.
He recalled, in turn, that the Foundation works to promote the training of the people it serves. In its 16 years of activity, BBVAMF has supported more than 6 million entrepreneurs in Latin America, helping them improve their future and that of their families.
