Established in 1958 by the heirs of the great Bolivian industrialist Simón I. Patiño (1860-1947), the Simón I. Patiño Foundation of Geneva designs and develops for South America, and particularly for Bolivia, research programmes as well as programmes for practical application in the spheres of education, culture, research, health, hygiene, nutrition, agriculture and ecology, at all levels, from basic adult education to university studies. These activities are carried out at various centres belonging to the Simón I. Patiño University Foundation established in La Paz in 1931 by Don Simón I. Patiño himself. In Europe, it successfully conducts a variety of programmes in the fields of ecology and culture. Through its publishing companies, it endeavours to make known the wealth and diversity of Latin American literatures and culture. At its University Centre in Geneva, it trains young executives for future careers in Bolivia. |