Yareli is a seven-year-old student from the community of La Manguita in Bolivia.
She is currently living with her grandparents because her parents work at a cattle farm where there is no school. The cattle farm is a five-hour horse ride from the community. Her parents visit her only once per month due to the distance and the fact that horses are not always available. Additionally, if they leave more than once a month, they risk getting fired.
At school, Yareli was very quiet and shy at first. She didn’t like to answer questions as she had difficulty with math and reading.
After much practice and playing many games, Yareli came out of her shell. She began to feel more comfortable in class. This has resulted in an improvement in her learning. Now, Yareli can add, subtract and complete basic multiplication. She has also developed her reading skills and can now read stories. She loves going around telling her classmates, grandparents and her teacher about the stories she has read.
Yareli turned out to be one of the best students in the La Manguita Project. What stands out is her diligence and her organization. She is now one of the most active students in the class, especially when it comes to playing or reading!
We asked Yareli if she would like any changes in the Alma education project next year? She answered: “I would like them to give us computers and more books to read. Before Alma, we did not have anything to read, and now the teacher gives books to everyone. We read them and take good care of them…I want more books.”