U.S. Embassy Grants Scholarships to Three Teen Soccer Players in Yungas

As it has been doing for four years now, the Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) of the U.S. Embassy has granted scholarships to another three young soccer players of the Yungas region, so that they can attend the prestigious Tahuichi soccer academy in the city of Santa Cruz.

This year, the awarded teens are: Luis Felipe Valdes (12), from Chulumani; Abel Pinedo (14) from Coripata; and Mario Chávez (12) from Arapata. This year’s grantees were chosen for their performance at a soccer championship played in the Yungas town of Coripata, which was organized by the Bolivian Police Rural Patrolling Unit (UMOPAR), with support provided by the NAS.

The scholarship covers meals, education tuition, healthcare, and other costs during the time the teens’ attend Tahuichi Soccer Academy. So far, the U.S. Embassy has granted scholarships to 28 young soccer players from several rural provinces in the departments of La Paz, Beni, and Cochabamba.

The soccer cup, where the grantees were selected, is the fourth championship funded by the U.S. Embassy in the Yungas region of La Paz. The three previous championships’ final games were held in the towns of Coroico (2004), Caranavi (2005), and Irupana (2007). This year’s was the first cup played in Coripata. This important sports initiative aims to promote healthy habits among the players as well as to encourage good use of spare time as an alternative to using drugs.

As part of this overall objective, the U.S. Embassy has also supported the Tahuichi Soccer Academy since 2003. In past years, the Embassy funded the construction and remodeling of a gym. This year, with a budget of $70,000, the Embassy is funding the construction of a new lodge for 45 children and teens in Tahuichi’s Villa del Niño Feliz.