Bolivian Quaker Education Fund

Bolivian Quaker Education Fund (BQEF)

Visit BQEF.org for More Information

Bolivia

Bolivia, the poorest nation in South America, has the highest proportion of indigenous people. These people were oppressed in Bolivia for centuries, and still have only a fraction of the economic means and political power of those of European extraction.

Bolivian Quakers

Bolivia's 30,000 indigenous Friends constitute the third largest Quaker population in the world. Isolated and impoverished, they are eager for fellowship with Friends in the UK and USA, as well as for support.

Bolivian Quaker Education

Schooling for indigenous Bolivians was systematically supressed until 1952, so even Quaker schools were clandestine at first.

Today the challenge has changed.  Public schools have improved so rapidly that the Quaker schools founded by Bolivian Friends must scramble so that their unique values are not lost for lack of updated equipment, facilities, and services. Education is a high priority for Bolivian Quakers and many young Quakers who lack resources have both the desire and the qualification for higher education.

Bolivian Quaker Education Fund

These facts define the current challenge. The Bolivian Quaker Education Fund and its programs, both developed with Bolivian Quakers, respond to these AmerIndian aspirations.