“Creating opportunities for young people”
Our purpose is to sustainably improve the quality of life & future opportunities of underprivileged Bolivian men, women, adolescents & children & the communities in which they live.
We aim to do this by:
- Providing support to implement social development projects.
- Mobilizing resources, bringing people & organizations together to help.
- Promoting the exchange of knowledge, cultural & natural heritage between our countries.
With our partner FUNDESOC in Bolivia, other friends, volunteers and partners in the USA, we jointly provide support in the following priority areas:
- Children & Youth
- Environment & Development
Our key strategies:
Building knowledge & skills: we focus our efforts on helping strengthen the knowledge, skills & self-esteem of men, women, adolescents & children to lead their own sustainable development process, in harmony with the environment. We believe in hands-on methods or “learning by doing”.
Participation & partnership: we promote the active participation of community members & other development stakeholders in our projects to ensure greater impact & sustainability.
A 360’ focus: we apply a holistic, systemic view of livelihoods & development, considering the social, environmental, economic, institutional, technical & technological aspects of life, to ensure truly sustainable development.
Our programs:
Children & Youth Program
WHY:
Bolivia & particularly Santa Cruz, have a large, young population where children & adolescents are the most vulnerable to violence, gangs, drugs and other social risks, with limited social & economic opportunities. If we can improve their personal & technical skills, help them make better life decisions and help create opportunities, we can give young people the tools they need to develop their full potential.
WHAT: We work to improve access of underprivileged children & youth to better social & economic opportunities & reduce their vulnerability to social risks such as drugs, gangs & violence. We do this by strengthening their 21st century skills, through social & technical training. We provide vocational orientation & study grants for adolescents so they can develop technical career skills to achieve economic independence. We provide education support for children who are behind in class, applying alternative teaching methods & improving the teaching skills of their caregivers.
Environment & Development Program
WHY: Satisfying their basic needs on a sustainable basis is still a challenge for many Bolivian families, both in rural & urban areas. We believe that if we work closely with these families, to analyze their problems, needs, opportunities & solutions, we can design & implement projects that empower them to improve their own sustainable development & their resilience in the face of difficult conditions such as climate change, droughts, fires or floods.
WHAT: We provide support to community development initiatives that improve food security, income generation & access to basic services, while protecting the environment through sustainable natural resource management. This involves technical assistance, inputs, equipment &/or infrastructure and, most of all, hands-on participative training in production, processing, marketing & organization.