Bolivia
| Overview Bolivia, a land-locked country straddling the central Andes Mountains in west central South America, is bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Named for Simon Bolivar—the liberator of South America—Bolivia is the fifth largest country in Latin America. As inhabitants of one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America, 64 percent of Bolivia’s people live in poverty. Chronic malnutrition and anemia still persist in children under three years of age. Only 50 percent of children in Bolivia complete primary school, and 22 percent of children aged 5 to 14 work, many of whom face the worst forms of child labor—mining, sugar cane harvesting, and sexual exploitation. Some 13 percent of adolescent girls are pregnant or are already mothers. More than 2,500 children live on the street, and the increasing number of people living with sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, is creating great concern. World Vision’s Work World Vision became involved with the people of Bolivia in 1965 through a pastors conference in Cochabamba. The conference ministered to 850 pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, bringing Christian workers together from all parts of the country. Similar conferences followed in 1970 and 1982. Child sponsorship began in 1975, in cooperation with the Salvation Army. Childcare projects throughout the 1970s established orphanages and centers for children of working parents, provided educational materials and structured activities, and supplied food. Health care, educational assistance, proper hygiene training, and spiritual enrichment were all common project components. |  |
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| By the early 1990s, area development programs (ADPs) were working to address the needs of children through childcare, education, health care, nutrition, and exposure to the Gospel message. Family development projects helped parents gain skills, and agricultural training was a significant activity. Other projects implemented provided school materials, including a library; trained health promoters to help prevent acute illnesses and to detect illnesses that required transfer to specialized health centers; and built classrooms to improve the learning environment. A children’s network recognized boys and girls who were leaders in their communities and encouraged them to participate in the development of their own communities. World Vision in Bolivia Today World Vision is working among the poorest of Bolivia’s families, who have an especially hard time making ends meet. Parents want to provide a better life for their children, but their earnings are often meager and not nearly enough to meet the most basic of needs. They long for the hope that sponsorship brings. Less than half of Bolivia’s families have adequate sanitation. Diseases such as dysentery, malaria, and tuberculosis are common, and the country now has one of the highest infant mortality rates in South America. During the winter, children are prone to severe respiratory infections, and many families have no money for medical treatment. Child sponsorship is providing medicines and training to greatly improve health care for families. Today World Vision is actively working to address the health-care needs of children in the Sorocachi and Winaypaj ADP communities. Families were traveling great distances on foot or by mule to the nearest hospital to obtain professional medical assistance for sick or severely injured children. Additionally, illiteracy exacerbates health-care issues. Most rural families cannot read or write. This poses communication challenges for physicians in providing proper medical care. Today community health agents provide periodic at-home preventive care and immunizations, and they encourage improved health-care choices. More than 12,300 inhabitants in 60 communities have benefited from this project—a health-care management system that monitors the health progress of children under age five. World Vision has made a difference in the lives of Bolivians through education programs, primary health care, agricultural programs, economic development, emergency response and disaster mitigation, and advocacy and human rights. Currently, 10 U.S.-funded area development programs (ADP's) are addressing the needs of children and families, and nearly 21,000 boys and girls are receiving the benefits of child sponsorship through U.S. donors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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