Making a difference - Concert will benefit Bolivian orphans

SALISBURY — Alicia DePaolo of Lakeville traveled to Bolivia in the summer of 2008 to volunteer at La Colonia Ecológica, an orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The trip was funded by a summer grant from Smith College.

She said her experience there was inspiring.

“It made me want to make a difference,†she said.

Now that she’s home, she’s working with the Salisbury Rotary Club to raise money for a college scholarship fund for the children of the orphanage. “Musicians for a Sustainable Boliva,†a benefit concert, will be held Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Church.

The orphanage is run by the nonprofit Sustainable Bolivia. DePaolo, 21, said the facility works with about 100 children ranging in age from infants to adolescents, with half of them permanent residents.

La Colonia Ecológica provides shelter, meals and education.

“There are two permanent staff members. The kids call them ‘Mom and Dad,’†De Paolo said. Local teachers lend their services, “and volunteers cycle in and out†on two-month tours.

“The older kids take care of the younger ones,†said DePaolo. “They take on a lot of responsibility.â€

Cochabamba is a city of 900,000.

“There is a lot of poverty on the outskirts, shanty towns and so on,†said DePaolo. “The further you get from the wealthy center of the city, the more poverty there is.â€

She said her two-month stay was life-changing.

“It changed the way I thought, especially about resources. It was hard to come back to a washing machine. I see a lot of waste here.â€

The concert seeks to raise money to send a group of 15 teens to college. Tuition for four years in Bolivia is about $2,000, DePaolo said, so the goal is manageable.

If this effort is successful, the organizers hope to make it a permanent program.

Performers at the concert include folksinger Priscilla Herdman, The Hevreh Ensemble, Sirius Coyote, DePaolo, a soprano, Judith Dansker on oboe and recorder, Susan Thompson, recorder, and harpsichordist Linda Skernick.

The suggested donation for the concert is $25. Reservations may be made by calling 860-435-2170 or by e-mailing hevrehmusic@gmail.com.