Quakers United Across Continents

Seven years ago, Magaly Quispe was one of the graduates whose college studies were sponsored by Bolivian Quaker Education Fund (BQEF). Magaly is an indigenous Quaker woman who continues to do amazing work throughout the country. She began conducting Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops in high schools in response to an inmate, who reflected how this workshop material would have influenced him at a younger age so that he would not now be imprisoned. She also runs the school residence with AVP principles woven into development of the home environment. AVP in schools is intended to address the severe problem of domestic violence in Bolivia and the high prevalence of intimate partner violence. To date in 2025, 6334 students have attended workshops, and Magaly has built a network of AVP facilitators to reach more students and effect real change in how women are viewed and treated by their partners.

Magaly’s work, staffing of the residence, and living expenses for students are funded by The WALJOK Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit directed by a Redwood Forest Friends Meeting member (Santa Rosa, California). The Foundation also supports Magaly’s effort to expand Alternatives to Violence workshops in prisons across the country. In 1975 Quakers worked with civil rights and peace movement organizers to develop this experiential workshop in response to a request from inmates of a New York state prison. Disturbed by violence in NYC neighborhoods, the inmates wanted to redirect teens away from incarceration. To date Magaly has introduced AVP workshops into 21 of Bolivia’s 60 prisons. Ongoing studies show the positive impact of these efforts on prison culture and relationships within the inmate community. Statistics show that violence and deaths are significantly reduced when AVP is active within the prison.

Domestic violence and violent crime are strongly linked to poverty, and Quakers across the continents have worked to address this issue in Bolivia. For 30 years Quaker Bolivia Link, based in the U.K., partnered with impoverished indigenous peoples on projects that provided clean water to their communities, promoted better health, and addressed food insecurity. Magaly’s efforts have been supported by these initiatives as she has introduced greenhouse projects into prison communities enabling inmates to acquire new skills and knowledge and to grow their own fresh food, which is in short supply in detention facilities. BQEF, based in the U.S., maintains its support for Quaker university students in Bolivia and is planning a Quaker Study Tour to the country January 2026. Participants will be able to meet Magaly and witness the influence of her work managing a Student Residence (internado) for those who live in the mountains near Sorata. This internado allows students from remote locations to attend high school and reside safely in the city during the week and then make the long walk back to their homes for the weekend. We welcome you to join this study tour and be united with Quakers across continents.

Learn more by reaching out to Waljok board member Patti Callahan ([email protected]) or view a trailer for a video on Magaly’s work, called Sowing Seeds of Hope, here: https://youtu.be/tQatpzw8bVg

Patti Callahan and Mylo Schaaf are board members of The WALJOK Foundation and are both retired from professions in the field of health care. Mylo has accompanied Quaker based service visits to South America as a physician, and Patti is an attender/recording clerk at Redwood Forest Friends Meeting in Santa Rosa.