Children from the MAP Bolivia School perform at a local Mother's Day festival.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Cochabamba, Bolivia, is a region whose people face obstacles such as extreme poverty and a harsh physical environment. Yet, Dr. Bramwell Osula, assistant professor for Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE), characterizes them as people of dignity—embracing hope and opportunity to establish a new model for development.

Osula, accompanied by GLE alumnus Dr. Benjamin Dean '08, recently traveled to Cochabamba and Chilimarca, Bolivia, to evaluate its long-established Medical Assistance Program (MAP) and surrounding activities in the local and remote communities. The target group of the visit was the indigenous Quechua peasants and their families.

"MAP-Bolivia is a unique holistic approach to community or indigenous 'leadership' with health as the central pillar," Osula said. "Because of MAP, Bolivia's integrated 'leadership' model, health is intertwined with other key themes of nutrition, hygiene, education, alcoholism, cultural awareness, family development processes, disabilities and entrepreneurship that are believed to be relevant to the Quechua peoples."

During their visit, Osula conducted extensive interviews with coordinators and staff of the key programs and organizations; met with the visionary founders and co-coordinators of MAP-Bolivia, a health facilitator and a disabilities team; attended a festival and events where language, culture and values were observed; and visited local facilities and universities, where he had the chance to discuss the issues with a number of people.

Dr. Osula (far left) meets with leaders and coordinators of MAP-Bolivia projects in Chilimarca.

"The trip to Bolivia gave a whole new meaning to transformation or transformative development," Osula said. "This was a truly humbling experience. The application of a unique 'shared leadership' paradigm was captured throughout the organization and evidenced in each of its programs."

In addition to the Bolivia visit, Dr. Osula was also invited to Bermuda as part of a men's leadership program organized by the Men's Ministries department of the Midland Heights Church in Bermuda. There, he spoke to a group of leaders and shared two basic approaches to leadership—'Stumbling Block' or 'Stepping Stone'—based on R. L. Sharpe's poem A Bag of Tools, and encouraged an uplifting style of transformative leadership.

Osula hopes to return to Bermuda to continue the work of leadership development in a global context, as well as participate in many existing opportunities for follow-up research and evaluation for MAP-Bolivia.

About the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship

The School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE) is one of seven graduate schools within Regent University and is located in Virginia Beach, Va. Offering fully-accredited master's and doctoral degrees in a flexible online format, GLE provides rigorous, yet innovative academic programs that can accommodate even the busiest professionals. For more information, visit www.regent.edu/global.