Stories

Bolivia is a diverse, multicultural, and multilingual country, where most of its 10 million inhabitants are either of mixed descent or a member of 37 officially recognized ethnic groups. Due to both cultural diversity and the diversity of its geographic regions, reaching Bolivian families can be difficult. Roads are poor and when they exist, can be dangerous. There are high rates of poverty, high rates of illiteracy, and low education rates. Homes are made from thatched roofs and mud walls, which create unsafe conditions for disease and illness. Since 1985, Advance has been working with our partner Advance Bolivia to provide support to Bolivian families, including:

• Building culturally-appropriate homes that transform entire communities in order to prevent Chagas disease, diarrheal diseases, and respiratory illness
• Trains hundreds of community health workers on important health issues affecting their villages such as maternal and infant mortality, Chagas disease, and malaria
• Helps families learn agricultural practices that will introduce native crops like quinoa back into the community, improving their nutrition and generating income

Our work in Bolivia is accomplished through the training of local community leaders, government leaders, teachers, health professionals, and families. We take a multi-level approach to reaching communities, with the belief that providing education and capacity-building at various levels will bring sustainable change and long-term solutions for the health issues we are trying to address.