25 years Fundación Educación

25 years of Fundación Educación - that was reason enough for a big party with long-term partners, foundation members, donors and - above all - our scholars! The main focus of the event was on the country program in Perú, the country in which the foundation started its activities and in which it still supports most students.

Perú was worthily represented: In addition to Juan Mulder, the long-standing vice president of the local committee, Bertha Aspíllaga, our "Madre", had come especially from Perú. Here she met five of her former scholars who had also made the trip to Zurich to tell the story of how the Fundación Educación scholarship had changed their lives. In highly emotional statements, they described their careers, the importance of a first-class education and the foundation's special focus on ethical values such as solidarity, integrity and perseverance.

In this context, we would like to refer you to the personal greetings of the five scholars present:

- Benjamín Aróstegui, director at a Peruvian university of applied sciences

- Claudia Carazas, among the first scholars of the foundation, long-term career in IT in Peru and Europe

- Gonzalo Parra, start-up entrepreneur in the health sector

- Florencio Paucar, gaining experience in Europe as IT expert in Artificial Intelligence

- Ricardo Zimic, postgraduate student in the field of digital communication

The festive setting was enhanced by the presentation of Álvaro de Soto, Peruvian diplomat and author, and, as former Undersecretary General of the United Nations, also a great expert on conflicts worldwide and in Latin America. He described his experiences in ending the civil war in El Salvador.

An insight into our activities in Colombia was provided by a video portrait that had been produced by Roche Colombia at the beginning of this year. Gabriel Calzada, Rector of the Universidad Francisco Marroquín (UFM), our partner university in Guatemala, personally conveyed his congratulations and thanks for the good cooperation, which has already benefited many scholarship holders at the UFM in Guatemala.

The 25th anniversary also coincided with the departure of Dr. Franz Stirnimann from the Foundation Board. He set up the foundation together with the founder Dr. Ernst Keller and has been closely involved in its development ever since. In his farewell address, he looked back on the hurdles, but also on many successes of the past 25 years. The Foundation is deeply indebted to him for his past work and the Foundation Board is pleased that he has promised his continued support.

The event gave us the opportunity to thank all of the Foundation's sponsors, friends and contributors for their many years of commitment. Without the diverse and generous commitment of so many, it would not have been possible to create such a successful funding concept based on the vision that well-trained and responsible young professionals represent the most sustainable basis for the economic development of a country.

At the concluding Apéro Riche with Peruvian specialities, a toast was then made with a Pisco Sour to the great anniversary and further thriving development of the foundation. Thanks again to the Peruvian embassy for the generous Pisco donation.

Thank you for your donation!

Our foundation work - the awarding of scholarships and the care and support of our scholarship holders - is only possible thanks to your donation. Many thanks for the considerable amount of money that was collected on our anniversary occasion.

Once again, we would like to point out the different possibilities of directly changing the life of one of our scholars with larger or smaller amounts. For more information, please refer to our foundation brochure and the donation program of our Círculo de Amigos. We are happy to have you as a donor!