BQEF scholarship recipients with Newton Garver, 2003

Scholarships for Bolivian Quakers to pursue post-secondary study in Bolivia are an urgent need because of the large number of qualified but impoverished young Friends in Bolivia. Currently there are an estimated 300 eligible recipients. In 2003 we supported 15 higher education scholarships, in 2004 there were 26, and in 2005 there are 36. Here's what a couple of scholarship recipients have said about their scholarships:

Ruben Ruiz: "With the scholarship I am able to study more and my grades have improved. Before, I was working at a fast-food shop, from seven in the evening until two or three in the morning, six days a week. In four weeks I earned about $58 and was able to pay my tuition. Now with the scholarship of $50 each month, I have stopped this work. I stay awake better during classes and can study without falling asleep. The scholarship has made all the difference for me. I am very grateful to have this scholarship."
 

Anna Callisaya

Anna Callisaya: "I was all ready to begin my university studies, but then my father lost his job and told me that he could no longer afford to pay my fees. I was devastated, because I counted on being able to improve myself and help my family. Then hermano Bernabé told us of the possibility of a scholarship. I could hardly believe it. It seemed like a miracle. Now I am doing well in my studies and am very grateful."

Learn more about our scholarship recipients by visiting our album of scholarship students' photos and stories.

Recipients must be Bolivian Quakers. All of the scholarship students belong to indigenous ethnic groups of Bolivia, as no Bolivian Quakers are of European descent. By BQEF policy, approximately half the recipients are women.

Monthly scholarship payments are made to the students during meetings with our coordinator in the BQEF office in La Paz. The coordinator thus has the opportunity to discuss each student’s work. Students who do not appear do not get their grant money. In addition, recipients are expected to submit a written report every few months.

	Bernabé Yujra, Paulino Ruiz, Ercilia Chipana, Deysi Ramírez, & Emma Condoori, 2004

The scholarships are awarded by a committee of five Bolivian Quakers, four of whom are shown here in the photo (left to right): BQE-Bo Coordinator Bernabé Yujra, professor Paulino Ruiz, nurse Ercilia Chipana, and teacher Deysi Ramírez. (Teacher Samuel Quispe is not shown.) Also pictured in the photo is teacher Emma Condoori. Friends on the Scholarship Committee make award decisions by the end of January and meet monthly to review student progress. Stipends are paid for 10 months, February through November, following the Bolivian school year.

Bernabé Yujra reports: "The scholarship recipients have improved greatly in their ... study at the universities, through our support, and they are very happy and grateful for the scholarships that they receive each month. This encourages us to continue working, so that these young people have a career and can pursue work for a better life than their parents."

Paulino Ruiz writes: "I studied agronomy in the state university here and then I went to Mexico on a grant from the government there. When I returned I met Bernabŕ and we started talking about how to manage the grants, what the requirements should be. Having had a grant myself, I know how much of a difference it can make. I am an eldest child, and I've had to fight a lot for my education. There are lots of grants available in Mexico.... It seems like everyone there has this opportunity. I'm very glad that now there are grants here as well. I work full time for the government here, but whenever I'm free I am exchanging ideas with BQE. This is where I can serve, offer my help.... Education is extremely important. Everything, the quality of life, has to do with education. With education, this country can begin to improve. With education we can serve our brothers."