The Simón Bolívar United World College was opened in 1986 by the Prince of Wales and eminent agriculturalist Dr Luis Marcano Coello.
Situated at the base of the Venezuelan Andes, the 676 hectare farm is home to students mainly from the Caribbean and Latin America and is one of the few UWC colleges that does not follow the IB, as it has a vocational focus.
The aim is to equip its students with the skills they will need to turn their farming communities in their home countries into profitable, self-reliant enterprises with an emphasis on conserving natural resources. A major tenet at the college is “learning by doing,” and the students spend two thirds of their time doing practical work on the college’s farm.
They are currently facing a very difficult situation and we ask you to consider helping.
What is happening?
Due to various political changes in Venezuela, the future of this college is under threat. Funding has dried up and the land they operate the college on is being appropriated by the government.
Full details are available on the College’s website
Why is it urgent?
If the government takes the college’s 676 hectares of land, the college would be unable to operate its educational program.
In addition, the Venezuelan government had contributed almost 40% of the college’s annual income. A further 30% came from a government Multilateral Cooperation Agency agreement for students from Caribbean countries. Although the government has on a number of occasions given assurances about the resumption of its funding, those assurances have come to nothing and the college has had to cope with a 70% fall in its annual income. Furthermore, a change of law in 2010 means that the college is no longer able to rely on those commitments from the private sector that have enabled the college to survive in the intervening years.
How will a tweet help?
The FUNDACEA board believes that at this point it has only one option: to appeal directly to President Hugo Chavez. Our experience in Venezuela tells us that the most effective way of doing this will be to mobilise the UWC movement to bring the matter to his attention. We therefore invite you to join us in sending President Chavez a message via twitter @chavezcandanga.
If as many people as possible in the UWC movement bring Simón Bolívar UWC of Agriculture to his attention to request his URGENT help, we may succeed in removing the threat to the college. This is our last hope. President Chavez knows the SB UWC of Agriculture and on two occasions in the past he has spoken, including once publicly, in favour of the college and its mission. Your help now could make him aware of the widespread international support for the college.
What to tweet?
If you want to help, please send the following tweet:
@ChavezCandanga AYÚDENOS, instituto @SBUWC internacional de agricultura Barinas está en peligro #SOSFUNDACEA
The essence of the tweet is:
@chavezcandanga El Instituto SBUWC International of Agriculture in Barinas is under threat. Now only you can save this unique college
Remember that tweets cannot contain more than 140 characters and this is why we ask that you send it in this form, the name in the tweet is how SBUWC is known to President Chavez.
The college’s Twitter account is: http://twitter.com/UWC_IO
You can also find them on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/uwcio
