The Tsimane Scholarship Fund

One Pencil Project initiated the Tsimane Scholarship Program to provide talented Tsimane students with a university education.

Only a small fraction of the Tsimane population completes secondary school, and once completed, these students have few, if any, options for furthering their education. Yet the Tsimane people face numerous obstacles to a sustainable future for their land and their culture. Deforestation, droughts, and floods - exacerbated by climate change - have increased food insecurity. Ranchers and other colonists encroach on Tsimane land, and the Tsimane continue to struggle for political representation at the local and national level. Navigating these existential threats will require technical know-how and legally-astute leadership.   

In collaboration with the Tsimane governing council (the “Gran Consejo”) and the Universidad Autonoma del Beni Jose Ballivian, One Pencil has initiated a program to select worthy recipients and contribute toward tuition, room, board and supplies for Tsimane students to attend the Universidad in the region’s capital city of Trinidad.  The cost per student is approximately $2,400 US per year.

The One Pencil Scholarship Recipients