Bolivia's 30,000 Indigenous Friends constitute the third largest Quaker population in the world and they are eager for fellowship with Friends from the North!

Bolivia, the poorest nation in South America, has the highest proportion of indigenous people. Systematically oppressed for centuries, Indigenous Bolivians today are working to achieve social, economic, and political parity with Bolivians of European descent.

Schooling for indigenous Bolivians was systematically suppressed until 1952.  Some of the first schools in Bolivia that allowed Aymara and Quechua access to education were Quaker.

Today the challenge has changed; Indigenous Bolivians have access to public education, however, the cost of transportation, food, school supplies, and lodging for students who often travel from great distances to study, makes higher education elusive for many Bolivian Friends.

Many families depend on their teenage children for income. If they are lucky enough to finish high school they often go to work because their families depend on their earnings.

Education is a high priority for Bolivian Quakers and many students who lack resources have both the desire and the qualification for higher education.