Houses of Learning: Schools for Indigenous Children in Bolivia

Impact

• Bring education to indigenous children from the poorest areas of Bolivia
• Reduce dropout rates in the local community
• Close the gender gap in education by putting more girls in school
• Help more children escape poverty
• Teach children the importance of reading, local traditions, hard work and discipline

Background Information

In Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in Latin America, many indigenous populations live in extreme poverty and isolation with no access to schools. They live too far away from the nearest schools to attend them on a daily basis, and therefore are left with no path for social mobility. The national government is unable to set up schools in these locations, particularly because the people who live there are scattered far apart.

Fe y Alegría has developed the solution of establishing boarding schools that children can attend and live in during the week, returning to their homes on weekends. The schools provide food, lodging, and after-school activities Monday through Friday, in addition to a high quality Fe y Alegría education.

Project Description

Fe y Alegría runs a network of 19 boarding schools in some of the most remote locations in Bolivia. These schools, called "Yachay Wasi" or "Houses of Learning", primarily serve children of Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní indigenous communities. The curriculum offers standard subjects as well as vocational training in agricultural methods. The schools take care to respect both Hispanic and indigenous cultures, and give priority to educating girls, who are far behind their male counterparts in these areas.

A Yachay Wasi education is a collaboration between teachers, students and parents, who all contribute to feed, clothe and educate the students. The Yachay Wasi schools care for on average 70 children per school, but have the capacity to take in even more. They lack the funding, however, to do so. Scholarship grants to the schools would allow them to take in up to fifty more students per school.

Cost of the Project

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If you would like to sponsor this entire project please contact F. Albert DiUlio, S.J. at info@magisamericas.org

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