The Paraguay Project is a joint initiative between Bloomsbury Institute, Goodenough College and the Santa Maria Education Fund. Now in its second year, the project awards a fully-funded scholarship for one exceptional Paraguayan graduate to study for their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Bloomsbury Institute and live at Goodenough College. The scholarship covers 50 weeks of study and living costs providing a remarkable opportunity for the scholar to develop both academically and socially; an option unlikely to have been otherwise available for many of the people who grow up in southern Paraguay, an incredibly deprived part of the world.

Last year, the inaugural Paraguay Project Scholarship was awarded to Abrahan Alejandro Burgos Ayala, who joined us in October 2023.

A friendly and familiar face around Bloomsbury Institute, Abrahan will graduate with his MBA in November. Musing on his time studying with us, Abrahan says: “my course helped me to reflect on how I used to do things, and realise that there is a better way of doing the things I used to do. Now I feel like I have the confidence to put what I am learning into practice. It feels like staff don’t offer support because it’s their job, but because they actually care, everyone makes you feel at home. Coming here makes you realise you can do things you never thought you could do before, it teaches you just how capable you are. My perspective for my future has changed totally, Bloomsbury has opened my mind and shown me that there are a wide number of opportunities for me. Bloomsbury Institute has been completely life-changing”.

Abrahan also spoke at our reception event at 7 Bedford Square in June along with journalist, writer, and Director of the Santa Maria Education Fund, Margaret Hebblethwaite, and Alice Walpole, the Director of Goodenough College. Cal Courtney, our Deputy CEO & Director of Community Engagement and Learning, then announced the winner of the 2023 Paraguay Project Scholarship. There were four shortlisted potential scholars to consider: Evelin, Noelia, Patricia C, and Sever. Although all four of the prospective students’ submissions were deemed to be of remarkable quality, and all four of the applications have been successful, only one could receive the scholarship.