On 26th of April, 17 graduates of the second cohort of the Master's degree course in Social Pedagogy celebrated at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Rafael Landívar. The programme is run in cooperation with KAAD and with the support of the Episcopal Action Adveniat, whereby the KAAD scholarships are substantially financed by the Department for the Global Church of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. The diocese is maintaining close relations with the Guatemalan church for decades.
The graduation ceremony was headed by Dr Juan Pablo Escobar Galo, Dean of the Faculty of Humanitiesand accompanied by Dr Lisbeth Hernández de Solorzano, Vice Dean, Ana Isabel Lucas, Academic Secretary, Alexis Rodríguez, Director of the Postgraduate Department and Álvaro Carrera, Coordinator of the Master's programme "Management of Child and Adolescent Development". Dr Thomas Krüggeler, Head of the Latin America Department at the KAAD, sent his congratulations and greetings on behalf of the KAAD in a video message.
"Studying for a Master's degree in Social Pedagogy at the University of Rafael Landívar was my dream," says graduate Lílibeth Eunice Salazar Carías. The Master's programme was an experience that she would not want to miss. At the same time, she expressed her deep gratitude for the KAAD scholarship, as it had not only provided financial support, but had also laid the foundations for creating a sense of shared responsibility. Cándida Elizabeth Asencio Sandoval, another scholarship holder of this cohort, mentioned that the KAAD scholarship had enabled her to broaden her knowledge and become more involved in building a better society in her family and work environment.
KAAD's engagement in Latin America focuses on creating a network that connects Catholic academics and universities in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. KAAD alumnae and alumni are involved in international social projects, they organise seminars within alumni associations they have founded and try to create innovations in academic life through research or publications. Furthermore, they are often significantly involved in the development of local and regional communities.
