Background: As part of the Education and Global Social Justice Project, in July 2012 undergraduate student Lisa Frank interviewed Don Enrique, the father of Alison, age 16 years old, who has spent two years at the Yatiqañ Uta (in Aymara, Yachay Wasi in Quechua), a residential education institution. They are from the community of Nogalan. Don Enrique also serves as president of the school (a democratically elected position), and in this role, he is responsible for convening the other parents of the community to carry out projects related to the Yatiqañ Uta. In this interview he describes the ways parents support the school with volunteer work, the importance of education, and the need to increase the number of technical training classes at Yatiqañ Uta.
How did you decide that your child should be here in the Yatiqañ Uta?
Her behavior has improved a lot here. In town, the boys tend to get lost, so I decided to put her here. I knew that here the kids are good, that they care for them, and they are well-fed. We make an effort, but sometimes we don’t have what we need. Parents sometimes do not have resources to feed and take care of their kids.
We want better accommodations here though: a perimeter wall, the kitchen. These are the things we are thinking about working on.
What role do you have here as a parent?
We do community projects in Waykuni, where the Yatiqañ Uta has a little farm. We all grow lettuce, tomatoes, [and do] odd jobs. I am president of the school, so I call on parents to do these jobs, and they come. We work so that we can have a good community, a good kitchen, because our kitchen isn’t so good and we want to improve it.
As president, are you in charge of making others come to work?
I call them, and they come to work, but I lead our projects.
Is it hard to get them to participate?
Some. For some, it is difficult, but the rest, not so much. They come to work. We plan and then we do it. If there’s no plan, there’s no way to work. But if it’s well planned, we do it. All the resources come from us. We can’t get resources from somewhere else because there aren’t any.
As for your daughter, what changes have you seen in your time here?
It’s been a good change. She has good behavior, and she’s matured. At first she was in La Paz for school, but that was bad. The education is fine, but the thing is there are other kids who are bad; they do not like to study, and that hurts them. There’s a lot of that in La Paz. It seems that here they are under the teacher's control and are always under the eyes of the teacher. In La Paz, it is difficult to control the kids. She’s more responsible now too.
What do you think about the education here?
In this college? We want to improve, to make the perimeter wall so no one comes in besides our kids. This is our goal. This year the Colegio San Ignacio is going to help us. All the fathers are coming to work with them. We’ve figured out how we’re going to do it. In the past, they came here and helped us build the soccer field. We work with them, together. This year we sent a letter to the principal, and they assured us they’d come again.
So you not only work with communities here but with others as well?
Yes, all the parents come to work in partnership with San Ignacio. Some young people do not know how to handle the tools, so we teach them. The young people have learned by coming and working here. They learn things that they don’t learn in the city, but that are known and practiced here.
What is the technical training here?
Alright. My daughter is learning to study, to respect, and now she’s well trained in these things. Before, she wasn’t. I'm happy with what's here. At home, too, she helps in the kitchen, with the laundry; she gets to cleaning. All that, my daughter is learning here.
Does your daughter have plans for what she wants to do after school?
Yes, yes, she wants to study, to be in the military or police, a nurse, a doctor. Alison says she'll study. That’s good. My oldest daughter is in nursing. She studied in La Paz. But as Alison is my younger daughter, we have to watch her a little more, so she’s here. I’ve just come from La Paz now, actually.
Do you live far from here?
No, not very far. Nogalan is minutes away. In a week, I come here two or three times; I'm always here. But most parents are not here as often.
Is it difficult to have your daughter here, and not with you?
No. At the beginning, yes, I missed her, but I’ve gotten used to it. I come here to check on things, but it's nice here.
For you, how important is education?
It is of paramount importance. It is essential, principal. Education has changed our lives; people lived differently before. Now, education and training are the most important things. Education can help everyone; it can change the story of their life. It also helps with food and clothing. All the sacrifices we make, to buy things, it’s all for education.
Speaking of resources, did Alison receive the Bono Juancito Pinto [a voucher for school-age children]? How did you use it?
She bought a book, then with what was left went to an island in the lake, so she could see new things. The voucher is good; it helped us. For the children, it’s a little relief, a little plus. With this bonus, some pay more attention and take their studies more seriously than before.
What are some of the challenges here related to the education of your daughter?
Education is a process of continually studying and moving on. That’s what I worry about most, is how she’ll be able to keep studying and not leave her studies or face other problems.
If you could change something about the education here in the Yachay Wasi, what would you do?
It’d be great to have more technical training here. We need another educator like Bartolomé, who is teaching the kids agriculture, carpentry, poultry, beekeeping, cooking, and bread-making. We need another person to help with this and do more.
Do parents sometimes teach something here as volunteers?
Yes—fabrics, woodwork, for example. I just work in agriculture: how to care for plants, lettuce, tomatoes.
The education here is very good. We just need to get more trades: sewing, weaving, tailoring. You can educate the kids well with these professions, but we don’t have enough teachers.
On the other hand, what do you think of the teaching of values here?
They are raising chickens, pigs, and bees. That's what we are learning here, how to raise more chickens and pigs. We are helping. They go to work and earn money here, and buy the chickens with their earnings. Same with pigs. I have chicks in my community, but not pigs.
What do you think of the influence of the Jesuits in this institution, and how important is that?
The Jesuit brothers have come to teach good things here, like religion and the Gospel of the Bible. They have also talked about living well. Respect for people, care for the person—that's what they say. Do not use drugs, alcohol, those things. It's good, what the Jesuits bring.
What kind of education did you have growing up?
Before, 50 years ago, there was no school. We grew up with no school, only primary education. We have learned to read and write. Our approach was to learn by talking to people. In some parts, there is still no school.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We always remember that here in this school, the Yatiqañ Uta, it’s always good, it takes us forward. We are excited and satisfied with what they do here, with this school that teaches well.
