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Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America, with increasing migration of rural population, mostly illiterate and extremely poor, moving to urban centres such as El Alto. These migrant families are often divided as one or both parents are forced to leave their families to seek work elsewhere. The most vulnerable; women, children and adolescents remain. The city of El Alto, on the outskirts of La Paz has some of the highest rates of violence against women and children. A large number of these migrant families' children are faced with extreme poverty, poor educational support, malnutrition, insufficient health care and increased risk of sexual abuse and gang violence.
Help Bolivia Foundation provides nutrition, education support, psychological counselling and skills training to children and their families in El Alto. See our project pages for more details.
Our vision is to drive change in communities by having children stay in school longer, with increased numbers going to post secondary school and being able to overcome limitations and challenges within their communities such as poverty, child abuse/sexual abuse, child abandonment and learning disabilities
HELP Bolivia Mission Statement:
To relieve poverty in Bolivia by providing programs that deliver education, counselling and nutrition to underprivileged children as well as skills training to underprivileged women and youth.
Help Bolivia Foundation is 100% volunteer driven. Learn more about us on our FAQ page, or HERE
Thank you to everyone who supported our Paint Class Fundraiser in Airdrie on March 2nd. We painted the lovely Illimani Mountain that towers over El Alto and La Paz. Thank you for caring about the kids and see you again in June!
On March 7th we celebrated a milestone years in the making - the grand opening of the Juk'at Juk'ata Centre in El Alto! This new centre brings together the Villa Ingenio and Tahuantinsuyo programs under one roof, offering children a safe space for educational support, hot lunches, and psychological counselling.
The name Juk'at Juk'ata, meaning "little by little" in Aymara, was chosen by the families themselves - echoing the words of HBF Founder Lydia, who always reminds us that real change happens step by step.
On April 3rd Help Bolivia Foundation held its 6th AGM.
In September the community bakery opened and in October the first baking training class began! 30 mothers are learning employable skills that will benefit their families.
On Saturday November 30th, the kids from Villa Ingenio spent the afternoon in the bakery learning to make cookies and empanadas. What a thrilling experience this was for them! They can't wait to do this again :)
2023 Year End Summary
2023 ReCap Document (pdf)
DownloadWatch the first ever Boliviart Festival here! This collection of Bolivian artists have come together to raise awareness for the work done by Help Bolivia. Amazing!
Watch the second Boliviart Festival, all Bolivian women artists! A special thank you to our team in Barcelona for putting these festivals together!
One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young girl who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.
Puzzled, the man looked at the girl and asked what she was doing. Without looking up from her task, the girl simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”.
The old man chuckled aloud, “But, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”
The girl picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, “I made a difference to that one, Sir!”
The old man looked thoughtfully at the small girl. And then he, too, began throwing starfish back into the ocean...
Whether you help through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading your support of our work by word of mouth, thank you! We could not accomplish our goals without supporters like you. Thank you for your HELP to “Build Brighter Futures” for Bolivia’s underprivileged children!
We would love to hear from you!