Our playground got some sprucing up last month. The really surprising thing is that the small local government office in our district of Bolivia took charge of the project! Our school has become quite popular in the area over the years. It’s definitely not common to have the local government head a project for a private school, especially one from the USA. But, we have made a good, honest, and lasting impression on many people and we have made a relationship of mutual respect. So, last month our playground was relandscaped with concrete and sand instead of the grass we formerly had. While the “concrete” may sound harsh, it’s not in our environment. It’s better for keeping mosquitoes at bay, which is an ongoing problem for the community. We thank everyone involved in this project in La Guardia, Bolivia for their help and gift to our school!

Irene Teran Moscosco (left) and Eldy Patricia Velasquez Flores (right) are two of our teacher’s assistants in our Sarita Program. Our Sarita program allows young women to work in our school and receive a college scholarship. We are very happy to report that Eldy, who has been attending college in Santa Cruz, will graduate in 2010 with her teaching degree. Her major is indigenous language. She will take on more responsibility next year in our school. Irene, who has been with Casa de Sara for a few years and has attended technical school on and off, has now changed her major to education. She is studying hard and doing well. We are very proud of both girls for all their dedication and we are thrilled they have been able to realize their dreams of attending college through Casa de Sara’s Sarita program. We will keep you updated on their progress.

Executive Board of Directors:
Lori Santoro, Founder/CEO/Chairman; Dan Frye, President; Andrea Truan, Vice President; Kim Owenby, Secretary/Treasurer; Anna Alvord, Member. Advisory Board: Susan Packard, Cheryl Light, Amparo Suarez, Ann Jurisson, Tammy Alexander, Tia Graham.