This summer, we are a team of 11 adventurous people who will travel to Guayaramerin, Bolivia August 5-20 to help construct a much needed girls’ dormitory. This project is one of many projects that will address the needs of Unidad Educativa Tecnico Industrial “Richard Gates”. Missionaries Tara and Ruan Swanepoel and a staff of a few dedicated teachers work hard to bring hope and possibility to children who would otherwise have no other educational opportunities. The school, operated by Gospel Ministries International, does not require the students to pay admission. Instead, students who desire to attend must pay a $12 entrance fee and work to stay enrolled. Over the five years the school has been in operation, the student body has grown to 72 students – 53 in secondary school and 19 in primary school. The demand is growing and the little school is running out of space.
The students who attend the secondary school (U.S. equivalent – grades 9 -12, ages 12 – 19) come from all over Bolivia. Local students are from Rosario del Yata, Guayaramerín, and Riberalta. Many students are from the sister school/orphanage in Rurrenabaque. Others are from Magdalena, Santa Ana, San Joaquin, Ingavi, Las Amalias, Santa Cruz, and La Paz. In all, the school has students from 4 of the 9 states (departamentos) in Bolivia. As the word spreads about the school, they get requests from more and more places across Bolivia.
The dorms this year are full to the brim. Each dorm is a large thatch-roof hut. The students live in the hut in one large room shared by everyone. Because this year’s Senior class is so small, and the school expects another huge Freshman class next year, they desperately need new dorm buildings. The school has decided to start with the girls’ dorm. This is the part of the development that our group will be involved in. The dorm we plan to build will house up to 40 girls, the dean, and dean’s family. There will also be a chapel, bathrooms, small living area for the assistant dean, and a courtyard area. With at least one of the new dorms built, the school will be able to accommodate more students next year.
We have the amazing opportunity to jump start the dorm building project and help Tara and Ruan quickly make space for the incoming students. While we will be focusing primarily on the building project, we will impact the surrounding community with medical outreach and a nightly health and evangelism program.
In order to be God’s “hands and feet” in Guayaramerin, we’ve got to get there! We’re asking for your help and support to make our involvement in this trip possible. As a team, our group is raising funds that will go towards plane tickets, building supplies, and support material. We have a team goal of $12,000 that will go towards making this a reality.
While financial support is essential, the best support you can give us is that of your prayers. Please pray that our team will be able to make an impact on the students at Unidad Educativa Tecnico Industrial and the surrounding community!
If you would like to contribute to this effort, please send a check with the amount you’d like to donate. All donations are tax deductible (we will send you a receipt).
Send to:
Kijana Knight
9500 W. Parmer Ln. #321
Austin, TX 78717 USA
Please make checks out to:
Austin First SDA Church
memo line: YA Bolivia Trip 2009
Thank you!!
