It is astonishing enough that there are some 30,000 Bolivian Friends (and growing), all of whom are indigenous people. It is even more astonishing that they have 16 schools with several thousand students total, including three schools with secondary divisions.
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"Phys. Ed." class at Colegio
Emmanuel, El Alto |
It is not surprising that the schools are struggling. The schools have no endowments and student fees are very low. It's not possible for school budgets to support sufficient maintenance, infrastructure improvements, and instructional enhancements.
In conversations with Quaker Study Tour participants beginning in 1995, Bolivian Friends shared their strong desires for better education and increased fellowship with Quakers in the North. This led directly to BQEF's current programs, formed in consultation with Bolivian Friends:
