Deafblind Student, David Tapiero, Awarded Scholarship

David Tapiero is not a typical Colombian. In a country where half the population lives in poverty, David grew up in Ciudad Bolivar, one of the poorest neighborhoods of the capital city of Bogotá, where he, like so many others, lived among gang violence and abject poverty. However, these were not the only obstacles that David faced. He was born with a disorder that eventually causes blindness, and at the age of 19, he got an infection that left him completely deaf.
In a country that offers almost no resources to disabled people, facing deafblindness and devastating poverty at first seemed insurmountable. However, David’s passion for learning and his great fortune of finding an organization dedicated to promoting the rights of deafblind people, has enabled him to not only pursue personal goals, but also to volunteer his time and act as a mentor and inspiration for others.
David is part of a Colombian volunteer network called PESCAR that acts as an on call resource to deafblind people and provides support services for various foundations. David’s spirit of volunteerism and his upbeat determination to reach out to others is contagious, but two months ago, David found he did not afford even the two dollars a day for transportation that would allow him to continue studying and working with PESCAR.
Partners of the Americas believes that people like David deserve a chance to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others. Through a small scholarship from the Florida-Colombia Partners of the Americas, David is able to continue studying and motivating and teaching other deafblind people to overcome their disabilities and be an inspiration to us all.