The Universidad de Colima launched a scholarship initiative in 2011 to provide food scholarships to economically vulnerable students.

When staff members at the Mexico university were planning the project, they considered what these students needed most, says Ana Lilia Moreno Osegueda, Director. They visualized that what the students wanted to see was a “cara amiga”—a friendly face, she says.

The Cara Amiga scholarships send students a message of support—that they’re among a community of friendly faces. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that need, and the team sought to strengthen the program. The institution negotiated lease agreements with its 64 cafeterias to participate in Cara Amiga by financing a specific number of scholarships. In 2022, this resulted in scholarships that guarantee a hot meal for 172 students. The program won a 2023 CASE Circle of Excellence Award for fundraising campaigns.