|
Sponsorship in Bolivia
CFCA has been working in Bolivia since 1988. The outreach effort includes three projects: LaPaz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. Programs include assistance with school costs, neighborhood outreach and partnerships with local day-care centers and orphanages. Education is the primary focus.
At the Don Bosco Center, a school for children from low-income families, the sponsorship program provides scholarships and supplies. To help address malnutrition, families are given staple food items such as flour, sugar, rice and milk. Medical treatment is available for children who are ill.
CFCA’s La Paz project serves children in the economically poor communities in La Paz and the neighboring city of El Alto. The project also serves families near Coroico, a small town about two hours from La Paz. Sponsorship benefits include food, school supplies, shoes and medical care.
Cochabamba is Bolivia’s
fourth largest city. The Cochabamba project serves children in Cochabamba and in rural villages like Melga and Independencia. The sponsorship program focuses on keeping sponsored children healthy and in school. The project also provides job-skill training to mothers of sponsored children and helps them to start small businesses.
Seven orphanages for abandoned children are among the programs partnering with CFCA through the Santa Cruz project. One is a home for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities and another offers a daily breakfast and lunch program that feeds more than 100 children and elderly who would have otherwise gone without the meals.
Sponsor a child in Bolivia
About Bolivia
Bolivia, a landlocked country in central South America, is one of the poorest countries on the continent. It is home to tropical rainforests, grasslands, rugged mountains and the highland plateau region. Forests and woodlands cover more than half the country.
Bolivia is one of the most economically poor countries in Latin America. Half the people live in rural areas, and agriculture makes up one quarter of the gross national product. The highland plateau is the most populated region because it receives sufficient rainfall for farming.
In recent years, Bolivia has achieved some economic stability and has implemented innovative market reforms. However, only limited progress has been made in the fight against poverty. Nearly one-forth of the population earns less than $1 a day. Despite lack of foreign investment and internal savings, government instability, mismanagement and corruption that has hindered the development of the country’s industries and agriculture, Bolivians have remained strong and have made much progress in their educational and economic systems.
The people
Bolivian culture is a combination of ancestral and Spanish influences. These influences can be seen in Bolivian food, clothing and lifestyle. In many households, each family member shares responsibilities to support the family.
Historically, those of Spanish descent have formed the ruling elite; they are the landowners and businesspersons. The mestizos (mixed indigenous and Spanish lineage) are generally involved in handicrafts, trades and small businesses in the cities. The indigenous are traditionally miners or farmers, or hold low-paying jobs in urban atmospheres. Despite improvements in recent years, the majority of indigenous people in rural areas reside in homes with no running water, electricity, refrigeration or indoor plumbing.
Half the country’s workers are employed in the agriculture industry, and farming methods are much the same as they were 100 years ago. Relatively poor health conditions exist in the rural areas of Bolivia, where tuberculosis, typhoid fever and malaria infect significant numbers of people.
The country’s health problems are exacerbated by a shortage of doctors, and Bolivia’s infant mortality rate is among the highest in South America.
 Education
Bolivia maintains two distinct public school systems, one for the rural population and one for all others. Each is operated by a different government agency. Schools are in session from February to November (January to December for the La Paz project). Public primary and secondary education is tuition-free and compulsory for children ages 7 to 14 years, but it is not enforced. In the rural areas, many children drop out after two or three years, usually because they are needed for farm work. The literacy rate is much lower in the rural areas.
Even if compulsory education were enforced, there are not enough schools and teachers in rural areas to accommodate all children 7 to 14 years old. Poor families find it difficult to afford supplies and other required school costs.
In recent years, there has been an increase in indigenous schools in rural areas and small towns because the government has committed to furnishing a teacher and some materials for any school constructed by people of indigenous descent.
Sponsor a child in Bolivia
Sources:
World Factbook
MSN Encarta Encyclopedia
|
