You are not the only person who cares about preservation of the rich cultural heritage of Bolivia—its languages, customs, art, architecture, and knowledge about ancestors. In a countrywide effort to save what makes Bolivia special, students, artists, researchers, and local leaders are coming forward to take action to save stories, rituals, and places to help save the country.

However, the most asked question by many people is this: how can I afford to study or work in cultural heritage? Be it a chance to study anthropology in a university, make a record of the language spoken by your community, or even heritage preservation work in another country, the budget might seem too prohibitive to scale.

The good news is that you do not need to do it all by yourself.

These programs are in the form of scholarships, grants, and funding that are specifically designed just for you. They are there to assist students who are determined to save the cultural memory of Bolivia and secure the further transfer of the knowledge to the new generations. These are not mere academic prizes—these are the possibilities to make your story, to enlarge your skills, and to deliver your ideas over time.

The Cultural Treasure of Bolivia (and Its People Guarding the Same)

There are more than 30 Indigenous nations in Bolivia. The cultural diversity of this country is huge: Aymara and Quechua, Uru, Guaraní, and Tacana, etc. The ancient dances of Oruro, the weavings of Tarabuco, the old ruins of Tiwanaku, the rituals of worshipping Pachamama—all these are not mere symbols. They are lifestyles, which the people have firmly entrenched in the soil and history.

However, history does not preserve itself.

• The languages will be in danger of extinction.

• Old methods are being forgotten with deaths of the older generation.

• Urban expansion or abandonment imperils sites.

This is the reason why Bolivia requires individuals who will come prepared to learn, write, educate, and safeguard. That is why now scholarships in cultural heritage are promoted—to create the new generation of defenders: the students, the artists, the researchers, and the community leaders.

To Whom Do These Scholarships Apply?

You do not have to come out of an affluent background. You do not even need to be articulate in Spanish. Even talking about straight-A grades will not be needed by you. The important thing is commitment.

The scholarships are intended to be used by:

• Students who have started studying or intend to study anthropology, archaeology, history, art conservation, or so on

• Youth within Indigenous communities that wish to maintain their language, crafts, or oral tradition

• Artists who do traditional work and who desire to be formally trained or recognized

• Graduates who desire to work in museums or deal with cultural management or heritage law

• Anybody who is part of a community-led preservation project with a tangible cultural value

What Are the Bolivian Foundation Barrios Scholarships Discoverable There?

More people are not aware that scholarships in this area are quite elastic. They do not only foot the cost of the college. They are designed in most instances to enable you to work, learn as well as save all at the same time.

These are some of the things that such programs tend to facilitate:

• An undergraduate or post graduate university degree in cultural heritage, anthropology, linguistics, conservation or similar area

• Research projects on what may be termed traditional knowledge, endangered language or the history of a community

• Participation in archaeological sites, villages or archives of cultures

• Training sessions or workshops, may be conducted under the patronage of UNESCO or international organisations
  especially in conservation, museum & heritage, heritage law

• Mentorship or apprenticeship programs in which the youths are taught by master weavers, makers of instruments, or language keepers

Universities are some of the ones that host these scholarships. Some others are governmental, NGOs, international actors as well as even the exclusive funders. All these people are united by one thing, however—the mission, which is aimed to support the people who preserve the culture.

True Story: The Travels of María, Cochabamba to Spain

Maria was brought up in a Quechua-speaking community that was outside Cochabamba. Her grandfather used to tell her the old stories every night when she was a child. At university, she started to make tapes of his stories, transcribe them and learn Quechua grammar. She did not even have research money or other scholarly help.

Her professor informed her of an Indigenous culture scholarship that was a joint initiative between her school and an organization that worked to encourage Indigenous languages.

She applied and received it, and went on to be invited to present her findings in a workshop in Spain later. As a result of that trip, another scholarship was awarded to study a postgraduate course in language preservation. Maria currently holds a job at her university teaching her community and her grandfather’s stories. She is actually writing a children’s book in Quechua at the moment.

Sources of Such Opportunities

You may be asking yourself how you can even begin.

One will not find a single site that will list all cultural heritage scholarships. However, you can find reliable sources where new programs and requests to participate in them are regularly placed:

• Ministerio de Culturas, Descolonización y Despatriarcalización: They send out calls of national funding and grants.

• PRONABEC: Opportunities associated with study support may be shared here (should be linked to higher education).

• University Websites: Professional active cultural research or scholarly programs are usually listed on the university websites of

  • UMSA (La Paz)

  • UMSS (Cochabamba)

  • San Francisco Xavier (Sucre)

• International Programs: Such internationally-developed initiatives as

  • UNESCO

  • DAAD

  • Erasmus+

  • Fulbright
    are known to regularly sponsor cultural preservation projects. The same applies to Bolivian students as well.

• Foundations and NGOs: Grants or fellowships may be provided by

  • Fundación Cultural del Banco Central de Bolivia

  • Latin American cultural networks

• Informal Networks: Surprisingly, Facebook groups, WhatsApp networks, and even university email newsletters are very productive sources—you will realize this on asking around.

Ways to Do So – And Why It Really Is Much Easier Than You Can Imagine

It may be that the process of applying to a scholarship is also cumbersome, particularly when this is the first one. It could appear awful much: the forms, the deadlines, the essays.

But the scholarships in Bolivia on cultural heritage are not always that difficult as people may imagine. The programs are designed to favor individuals of all kinds who may not be able to attend elite school or write a fancy resume.

The majority of applications are the same way. You will be required to send in:

• Identification (your national ID)

• Educational credentials or registration

• A letter of background and aspiration

When you are dealing with a certain project, you may also have to submit a brief proposal, e.g., vouching (reviving an old art style), documenting a local language. It is no cause of alarm at that word. A proposal could consist of a one-page thing mentioning what you intend to do, why it is significant and how the scholarship would be useful.

What to Write on Your Motivation Letter

Your application will come to life in the motivation letter. It is not writing skill that is tested—this is your chance to talk to the people who are willing to help you.

Begin with your story. Out of what origin are you? What is your background based on (which traditions (if any), languages or knowledge had an influence on you)? Perhaps you could just recall how you used to watch your grandmother, how she stressed on how to make traditional pottery, and how you have seen how far young people in your village have moved and talk a different language as it was spoken by their grandparents.

It is not only memories—these are your connection to a heritage that is important, and why you want to study or preserve it.

Then, be definite about what you want. So, what are you going to study and why? What impact will your work have on the safeguarding of the culture of Bolivia? Perhaps you would like to be a language teacher, a museum curator, a researcher, or a community artist who teaches other people. Say that. And tell how the scholarship will clear the hurdles which are in your path.

Do not plagiarize web-based templates. Talk in your own language. Think of talking to a colleague or a trusted friend or elder person. The critics do not forget that kind of honesty.

Get Documents Ready Sooner — and Check It Out: In These Cases There Is Some Trouble

Do not leave to the last minute to collect your paperwork. Most programs also require documents which may take their time to be requisitioned—such as transcripts or letters from community leaders. Begin in advance, and in case you are bogged down, contact your school or university, or your local cultural center. It is not a task you need to take by yourself.

Certain scholarships focusing on Indigenous people also give (or even require) the applicant to provide a letter of reference by a member of the community (such as an Ayllu leader, an elder, or one representing a cultural organization). Do you have such a person in your life? Request them—whether they can assist your application by writing a brief letter or statement.

What Is a Good Application?

A good application does not imply or mean good grammar or lots of awards. It is about seeing, being, and relating.

The most prominent thing that can be noticed in effective applications is a coherent narrative. Reviewers also need to see who is behind the product, what motivation you have, and how you are going to translate that into action.

When you mention everything you have done—even the little—in relation to your area, then mention it.
Perhaps you were:

• A volunteer at a local cultural festival

• Assisted with the recording of oral histories

• Created songs in your Indigenous language

They are very strong experiences.

In case you are not experiencing the work formally yet, then that is fine. It is just as important that you have potential. Demonstrate that you want to learn, you are devoted to your origins, and you are willing to pay back.

An Inspiring Story: The Story of Rodrigo (de Sucre)

Rodrigo was raised in the vicinity of Sucre, and the colonial architecture and Indigenous cultures impressed him in the history of the city. However, there was no future career that was clear to him. He thought of an engineer but could not stay away too long because he still loved architecture and preserving heritage.

Rodrigo became aware of a scholarship through one of the university professors, since they assisted students who were engaged in conservation projects related to national identity. He has been a candidate and wrote that he wanted to save historic structures in smaller cities that were coming apart.

There were no awards or placements in top internships in his application—but his application had heart, vision, and a personal touch.

Rodrigo was granted the scholarship. He is now doing an internship in a local heritage office, and works to preserve buildings dating over a century.

This is illustrated by his story: when the biggest thing is to be able to articulately convey why you feel cultural heritage is important to you—and what are you willing to do about it.

Never Give Up Due to Rejection

It is not all applications that make it through. That’s normal. It can be very common to find that many students enter into application to more than one scholarship—and even thrice—before the successes are realized.

Do not quit on receiving a single rejection. It could mean something as little as editing a sentence in your application or a more suitable match with another program.

Do not ignore the feedback given to you by a program. Use it to make your next application better. And never forget to look out—there are new opportunities which also present themselves throughout the year, particularly with the help of NGOs and international networks.

Cultural work is all about persistence. It can be rebuilding a language, a monument, or a festival—it takes time. This is also applicable in the aspect of seeking the right support.

My Opinion

The thing is to get started. Just get going. Inquire of a person you trust whether there are any scholarships. Go to the website of a university and examine which programs are presented. Write your story in any form—even as a draft. Each of your actions takes you even to your goal.

Your dream of saving the culture of Bolivia must not be done by reason of the lack of money as an excuse and turn into your way of moving away. Such scholarships are established to ensure that you can be helped not only to finance education, but also those people who will be moving the culture further.

And your language, and your art, and your history—they all have a value. And, so dost thou.