Well it’s almost that time. It’s crazy to think that in less than a week we will be in Cochabamba, it feels like everything has been moving so quickly. I am very excited for what the trip holds and the work we will be doing, and I am confident that our team will deliver and do a great job.

The Organization and Project Scope– The organization we are partnering with is CEOLI, which is a non profit school in Cochabamba which provides essential education and healthcare programs to children and young adults with disabilities, most specifically those with down syndrome. My impression of CEOLI is that they are a very resilient group which is doing their best to remain a vital part of the community despite all the hardships they face. The culture presentation really opened to my eyes as to how amazing and impressive the work CEOLI is doing. For one, even general schools in Bolivia suffer from a lack of adequate supplies and resources, and the fact that CEOLI is doing their best to provide extra support when normal supplies are at a shortage is so impressive to me. Second, learning about the conservative culture in Bolivia opened my eyes even more because there is a lack of support for people with disabilities, as most people don’t see the need to tend to those with disablilities to such an extent, which reduces funding even more. It is evident to me that CEOLI doesn’t simply care for its patients, but they actively work and seek to dismantle the societal stigma surrounding people with disabilities in Bolivia.

The scope of our work is. quite specific, we are not there for just general help, we have actual targets which we are looking to hit. The main goal of the project is to improve the quality of what CEOLI is offering by putting our focus on the teachers and the gear which they use. Our team has four main deliverables:

1. Assess and Procure Equipment: We have to figure out what exactly they are missing and how to get it for them. Our goal was to gather 5 laptops, and thanks to the generosity of one of the father’s of one of our group members, we currently have 5 laptops which we will be bringing for CEOLI. We also started a GoFund me fundraiser which has currently raised $2,215 out of our $2,600 goal.
2. Professional Development: We are looking to compile at least five free or low cost training resources for the teachers, specifically focused on early childhood education or disability strategies.
3. Network Connections: A point of focus was contacting student orgs or professional networks back home who worked with aqua/physical therapy in the Pittsburgh area, and seeing if they could create instructional videos or give added advice on how to improve practices at CEOLI.
4. Final Report: We have to wrap everything up into a report and presentation which shows what we did and also how they can keep it going.

As a finance major, and a junior analyst in Panther Equity, I am more used to looking at deliverables in terms of stock pitches or market research. I think that completing deliverables through our project is a good example of how using business skills such as procurement and networking can be used for something more than simply making money.

Goals for the International Component

I leave for Cochabamba this Saturday, and personally my main goal is not look at this project as just a list of bullet points to get done, and to really make the most out of our time working in person with CEOLI. The project is a semester long, but the week we will spend there is the most important part. As a team, in our time there we specifically hope to:

1. Validate our Equipment List: We need to make sure the gear we are procuring is actually what they need and that the equipment can be maintained in their specific facility
2. Engagement and Buy In: For the professional development resources to work, the staff needs to actually be excited and interested in them. Getting to meet the teachers in person will aid us in selling the importance of these training so we can hit our target of 75% staff completion.
3. Long term Connections: It is easy to ignore an email from a US network, but if we are able to explain the benefits of these connections in person, the chances of having a follow up meeting increases significantly.

Cultural Challenges: Navigating the Business Environment

The program description cautions us that it is imperative that we be flexible, open, and patient, and I think that this will definitely challenge us as a group. For one, through during our research on the country, we learned that Bolivia often operates on “Bolivia Time” in which it is almost custom for people to show up 15-30 late to things. In the US business world I feel like being direct and on time with everything is so heavily emphasized. The goal is to always get in, hit the agenda points, and get out. The culture in Bolivia is much more heavily based on relationship building and trust. We can’t simply come into CEOLI and begin auditing their equipment. If we try to rush through our procurement checklist without respecting their pace, it can seem unprofessional or disrespectful. Having to navigate through this delicate community situation will require us to slow down and recognize that building the relationship is the business.

The reading that has impacted me the most is the study by Vogelgesang and Astin which compares course based service learning with generic community service. They found that connecting service with academic course work has a significant effect on developing cognitive skills, and this really changed how I viewed this trip. It helped to recognize that our work in Cochabamba isn’t simply a separate volunteer trip but that it is a important extension of my business curriculum. Through actually applying the concepts we learn to CEOLI’s real world challenges, we are improving our academic and analytical abilities in a way that standard volunteering would not.

All in all, I am very excited for what our trip to Cochabamba will bring, as I believe that it will be extremely beneficial for us not just as aspiring business students, but also just as people in general. The work we will be doing is extremely valuable and I hope to make the most out of our time there.