Geoff's blog

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!

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!

Here is a link to an album of photos from my trip with Vickey Kaiser to Bolivia. Vickey arrived February 24 and returned March 9, and I arrived February 26 and returned March 6. http://web.me.com/ggimont/Site/Bolivia.html
We are working on a trip report that will put some of these photos in context. Meanwhile, enjoy these images of Bolivia and of BQEF's work there! Geoff Garver

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

This video was taken in on February 26, 2009, during Geoff Garver and Vickey Kaiser's visit to the Internado in Sorata, Bolivia. Take this video tour of the internado to see where the Internado students (internos) sleep, study, eat and hang out with their fellow students, along with Benito, the Internado administrator, and his parents Eusebio and Maria, the Internado house parents. The Internado is a family-style weekday residence, close to the internos' school, saving them hours of walking to and from school from their remote villages (which they do return home to each weekend). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEOXqyL5SkY

On March 1, 2009, Geoff Garver and Vickey Kaiser accompanied Bernabé Yujra, Juan Yujra and Emma Condori to the Quaker schools in Batallas and Achacachi for the formal presentation of 10 computers that BQEF donated to the schools. The gratitude is hard to convey in a blog post - but maybe this video will give you an idea of what kind of day we had: wonderful!! It shows students from the Batallas school singing, and words of thanks from Justina Corazón. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D5fJlN9Te4 More videos coming soon....

It is wonderful to see this revitalized site up and running - I even have a blog! I hope we all will learn to use the website to its full advantage. My involvement with BQEF has progressed from initially supporting it only financially, followed by a transformative trip to Bolivia in September-October 2007, and now to participation as a Board member. Seeing with my own eyes the direct impact of BQEF on scholarship recipients and other programs beneficiaries in Bolivia convinced me of BQEF's worthiness. The work of BQEF is valuable and appreciated!
Geoff