News

 The Bolivian government has mandated 17% salary increases across the board and other costs have risen as well. Can you chip in extra and early this fall to help us cover the shortfall by making a generous gift today?

Eddy Nelson Nogales Paco studies Aeronautics at the Public University of San Andrés. "My family supports me through ups and downs," Eddy writes. "Whenever I have to stay up late studying, my mom and sisters encourage me. I help with cleaning, washing, and cooking at home." Eddy's best friend through the cold Andean nights is his puppy, Spot.

"I studied hard the week before midterm exams but when I saw my grades I wanted to cry." Mom consoled me, saying: 'Don't give up now. Trust in God and you will see that everything will be fine.'

I gave my best and I will do better next time, for all the people who believe in me and for myself."

His virtual classes require purchasing data cards in addition to paying for research and other costs. Saturday and late evening classes make his schedule exacting.

These scholarships have helped Bolivian

Friends make a dramatic difference.

You can direct up to $100,000 per year tax-free from your IRA account to BQEF if you are over 70½ years old. This strategy can eliminate or reduce taxes on Required Minimum Distributions from your IRA.
Contact your IRA custodian and request a direct transfer to:
Bolivian Quaker Education Fund
65 Spring St.         Fredonia, NY 14063          Tax ID 11-3650879

Dahlia Vilca Flores studies at the Warisata Teachers College, where she is also class president. Even though she was sick with laryngitis for two weeks, she was successful in her academic activities. “My voice dried up and I couldn't participate.”
Dahlia was student teaching when the pandemic worsened and her class of second-graders had to move to online learning with the rest of the school. Dahlia and the other teachers developed special distance learning materials for the students and recorded the virtual classes for the students to review later.

 TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

Come visit with our Bolivian students, graduates and staff on our Virtual Quaker Study Tour in honor of our twentieth anniversary.  We’ve asked them to give an overview of three aspects life in Bolivia: the struggle for education to overcome poverty, the effects of climate change in Bolivia, and the student experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Join BQEF supporters from around the world for three sessions:

July 11^th 7 p.m. EST.  BQEF and AVP leaders talk of The Founding, Development, and Fruits of BQEF, starting with Newton Garver and Bernabe Yujra’s  efforts to overcome family poverty with education. 

Our Spring 2021 Newsletter is attached in pdf format. We hope you'll read these stories about our inspiring students and their struggles and successes amidst the even greater challenges of the continuing pandemic. (People are *just* starting to be able to access vaccinations in Bolivia, and the going is slow.)

Be well, f/Friends.

Our April 2020 BQEF Newsletter is attached in pdf format.  The articles include information about Rebeca Ramos' US visit, and the views of our other Bolivian students on climate change.   Rebeca is available for online meetings with MM, QM, YM and other Friends gatherings.  Contact office@bqef.org to schedule an online talk.

Our high school students in Sorata are delighted to have ready access to the internet at the student residence, for the first time ever.

In recent years their teachers have increasingly assigned reports that require them to do research on the internet.

Because the minimum monthly charge for establishing an internet connection was $300, we were unable to offer internet on the student residence computers. So students had to pay for computer use at one of the local internet cafes, which are often crowded, noisy, and an expense that most could ill afford.

This July, a generous donation from visitors on the Quaker Service and Study Tour equipped 2 of the new student residence computers with affordable internet access via a cell phone simcard.