Emma's blog

 Through BQEF, Jeff Keith and I led a workshop about Bolivian Friends and Bolivia at FGC gathering 2012. During the workshop we looked at how Bolivian people struggled for centuries until the current goverment came to power. Bolivian Friends have sought well-being for the country by using education as a peaceful way to solve social problems and concerns in Bolivia.

  Also I traveled to two different Yearly Meetings in the western US. At the North Pacific Yearly Meeting gathering in Tacoma, Washington many Friends loved hearing about Bolivian Quaker community.  It was such a blessed experience to workship with them. At the NPYM "Quaker Fair" I shared about Bolivian Friends and about the story of the Bolivian Quaker Education Fund's work. I liked visiting with the children at this yearly meeting, talking with them and showing pictures about Friends in Bolivia.

We started our visit at Emma Canaday school. The students were so happy for our visit, and they asked many questions in English and Spanish. Also they asked Geoff how to say some words in French.

These three students from Emmanuel school send greetings to Friends in the U.S., Canada, and England.

The English Program Teachers:     Three teachers participate in the BQEF English Program - Elena Torrez, Margarita Coaquira, and Elizabeth Lucero. We meet once a month to share and discuss how the English classes are going at the three Quaker Schools. Teacher Elena usually has a lot to share about her classes at Los Amigos Quaker High School. She is in charge of all 12 English classes weekly, which is a very demanding and interesting work for her. In each class of the four secondary levels (9th through 12th grades,) she has over twenty-five students. She holds these classes at the English lab which was installed BQEF's help.

The English Program, which is additional English classes, was held during nine months in 2007. It had three English teachers who worked at three different Quaker Schools in La Paz. More than 39 students, who belong to Emmanuel, Los Amigos, and Emma Canaday School, were benefited with this Program; most of them were in Secondary level. The participants had two English classes per week in the mornings, where they learned English language and as well they reinforced it. They worked a lot on different language skills as speaking, listening, writing, and reading, but the time was not enough for practicing more. Furthermore, they had a gathering on September where they performed many activities in English.