Fe y Alegría in Peru: solidarity and service in Catholic education

Fe y Alegría (Faith and Joy) refers to the network of schools for the poor run by the Jesuits in Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded originally in 1955 in Venezuela by Father José María Vélaz,1 by 2010 Fe y Alegría had spread to 17 countries in Latin America and now operates one in Chad. The Fe y Alegría schools are essentially convenant2 schools based on an agreement between the church and the state. The Jesuits build the schools and the state agrees to pay the salaries of the teachers. The Jesuits reserve the right to name the teachers and the directors. The teachers are on the payroll of the state and the curriculum taught in the schools is the same as in all public or state schools. The agreement favours all sides. The Jesuits guarantee quality education for the poor and at the same time share the burden with the state of educating thousands (in Peru, 81,000 students are currently enrolled in Fe y Alegría schools) of poor children. The agreement allows the Jesuits to provide education for the poor on a wide scale that, through lack of financial support, they otherwise would not have been able to do. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.