Our Affiliated Site: Colegio Don Bosco in Sucre, Bolivia

 

facts about the Colegio Don Bosco:

  • Ages Served: 5 – 19 years of age
  • Facility Description: A large, two-story school building comprising forty classrooms, a dining hall, a kitchen and laboratories for physics, chemistry and computers.
  • Education: Core academic studies are taught, including English. Due to the high quality of education provided at Colegio Don Bosco, almost all students continue on to university studies.
  • Academic Year: Typically begins in early February and ends in early December. Students enjoy summer break from mid-December through the end of January, and a two-week winter break in July.
  • Scholarships: The school offers scholarships for talented students from lower-income families.
  • Parental Outreach: Parents are encouraged to become involved in their child’s education and to attend parenting classes offered by the school. Some parents volunteer their time assisting at the school.
  • Extracurricular Activities: Include outdoor recreation and sports activities. Field trips to places of historic and natural interest are very popular and expand the children’s educational experience.
  • Medical Care: A full-time nurse monitors students’ health and provides medical attention as needed.

The small, landlocked nation of Bolivia comprises rugged Andes mountains and vast, high-altitude plateaus to the west (including a portion of Lake Titicaca, the largest high-altitude lake in the world) and lush, lowland plains of Amazon jungle to the east.

Despite its wealth of natural beauty and resources, Bolivia bears the scars of centuries of conflict, beginning with the Spanish conquistadors and followed by almost 200 years of wars and internal military coups. Political and economic instability have brought about considerable poverty, resulting in widespread malnutrition, crime and disease. Sucre, Bolivia’s constitutional capital, retains much of the remnants of Spanish colonialism including many buildings erected by the conquistadors and the second-oldest university in Latin America.

However, it is no exception to the poverty that plagues the rest of the nation. Recognized as one of Sucre’s best schools, Colegio Don Bosco serves as a beacon of hope to this troubled region. It has been operational for over 100 years, originally as a rectory for parish priests and then as a school for orphaned boys. Today, it serves boys and a growing number of girls from both affluent and poor families. For many of the impoverished children here, Colegio Don Bosco is their only hope for a future beyond the confines of poverty. Since many of the families that send their children to Colegio Don Bosco cannot afford the yearly tuition, your Children Incorporated sponsorship is vital in covering this and other basic needs.