News

We have a new first day school lesson available for 4th grade and up.  The complete lesson includes stories (see Lesson Plan), a slide show, videos, and a booklet. Please forward the links or download and print the materials to share with your First Day School committee.  We hope you enjoy this new opportunity for getting to know Bolivian Friends better, and we welcome your feedback on the materials and how they might have led students and others to find ways to connect with Friends in Bolivia.

Watch as Esther Tinco Mamani talks about pursuing her degree in agronomical engineering - a profession she was told she should avoid because it was a "man's job." She says the BQEF scholarship was "like God poured a bucketful of blessings on her." The interview was recorded on February 28, 2009, at Colegio Los Amigos in La Paz.  Esther's witness is a vibrant example of what a difference your support is making!

When an FWCC veteran heard that a young Bolivian Friend was visiting the 2009 sessions of New England Yearly Meeting, her first reaction was to regret that NEYM did not have translators in place.  But Rubén Hilare did not need translators, neither for conversations nor for his presentation at an interest group.  All went smoothly in English, and 16 Friends came to learn more about Bolivia on an evening when there were a dozen simultaneous interest groups.

When Alicia Lucasi came to Carolina Friends School in September of 2008, she brought a wealth of information to share about Bolivian Quakers.  In her own life, Alicia reflected the migration common among Aymara-speaking Quakers from the rural areas to the cities. 

On July 1, 2009, Ruben Hilare and Alicia Lucasi took time out from their other activities at the 2009 FGC Gathering in Blacksburg, Virginia, to talk about their 2008-09 internships at Oakwood School (Ruben) and Carolina Friends School (Alicia), their BQEF scholarships, and how BQEF has made a difference in their lives. Alicia and Ruben are now back in Bolivia, working on ways to use their internship experiences to improve education among Bolivian Quakers. All who met Ruben and Alicia during their internship year know what wonderful ambassadors they were!

Dear Friends,

Emma Condori, former scholarship student, English teacher at Colegio Emmanuel, English program coordinator,  volunteer coordinator of volunteers in Bolivia, editorial board member of QUIP's Quaker Youth Book Project, FWCC-trained translator, and willing office assistant to Bernabe (I'm quite likely leaving something out here - did we mention she's also served on BQE-Bo's scholarship committee?), has been awarded a full 3-year international student scholarship to Earlham School of Religion's Masters of Divinity program.

Internado staff and students are working their new vegetable garden - on land loaned by a local supporter who also volunteers tutoring - so they can grow more of their own food and help keep costs down. (Food prices are rising rapidly in Bolivian due to widespread inflation.)

I attended Southeastern Yearly Meeting’s annual Business Meeting, held at the Life Enrichment Center  in Fruitland Park, Florida in April 2009. I was blessed in many ways. I got more information about Quakers in the U.S.  I met many friends from Florida and other states. I spent my breakfast, lunch, dinner and break time with them, telling them about the Bolivian Quaker Education Fund, my life, Quaker schools, Quaker meetings, etc.

This video was taken on February 26, 2009, during Geoff Garver and Vickey Kaiser's visit to the Internado. We asked the internos to tell us about how the Internado helps them. They told us that before coming to the Internado, they had to walk hours each day to get to school. Now, they told us, they have a safe, supportive environment, close to school, with plenty of friends, and they are doing better at school. Watch this video to hear it in their words - with a very special treat at the end!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Djsgdwna9A