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Current Program
We have two different areas in which volunteers can work. The first area revolves around helping the foundation with day to day tasks. Volunteers will be helping prepare and serve food for the children, cleaning classrooms, riding the bus in the afternoons that takes the children home and assisting with various ad hoc tasks and mini-projects.
Recently our volunteers completed construction of a new kitchen, septic system and repainted classrooms. Now we are working on a very ambitious project to provide families in the communities with latrines. (See LATRINES PAGE) So far we have successfully completed 5 in the community of San Lorenzo and another 6 in Santa Elena. With more volunteers we can fulfill our goal and surpass it providing sanitary bathroom facilities for as many families as possible, thus decreasing preventable disease and giving privacy. We are also starting health education discussions on maintenance and health issues regarding latrines. We believe education goes hand in hand with construction to ensure sustainability of the latrine project. Volunteers are welcome to help us develop these education workshops.
We welcome volunteers who are willing to get involved in all sorts of different work, depending on projects at the time. We are always happy to see volunteers with specialist practical skills (Electrician, plummer etc) or a generally handy person. Teachers who speak Spanish may be able to get involved with working with the children and Medics or even medical students are often welcome to work alongside our small medical team. But most of all we look for volunteers with a postitive attitude to get involved in all types of work with the understanding that projects change and where you could make the most impact can vary all the time.
PLEASE NOTE: As we have many questions regarding working with children we feel it neccessary to clarify the role of volunteers at the project: Due to the Foundation having professional Bolivian teachers and assistants, volunteers are more helpful to the projects of the Foundation and the communities, working in other areas. Volunteers may however have the opportunity to work with the first grade or the babies´class. For this you would need a very good level of Spanish and ideally experience working with children. The role of volunteers at this project in Bolivia is to utilise skills and enthusiasm in projects that will give the most support to the Foundation and the communities. Simply playing with children has not proven to help and can even undermine the hard work of the Foundation teachers.
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View our LATEST NEWSLETTER which has information on recent projects, successes and plans.
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Possible future projects
The following is a list projects that the POAH staff would like to implement. Right now these are ideas for the future, but with your help they can become a reality.
We need volunteers who are willing to reach out to the community and start the ball rolling for further improvements in this area.
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Program Possibilities:
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Explanation
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| Community Gardens |
Hunger is huge problem for the people in the Chapare. We are in the process of acquiring land that can be made into community gardens. We are in need of volunteers that can create and maintain these gardens whose produce will go back into the community.
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| Building and Installing Chicken Coops |
Chicken is a staple of the Bolivian diet; however, a chicken left unprotected often becomes victim to predators and disease. We would like to install chicken coops for use by the communities, in order to increase the availability and affordability of chickens for consumption.
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General Maintenance of Foundation Facilities
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There are everyday tasks that must be completed in order to ensure the school buildings remain in working condition. These tasks include, but are not limited to, cooking, cleaning, running errands, painting, and repairing. The more hands to complete these tasks, the more time we will have to embark upon new community development programs.
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Sports Coordinator and Youth Program
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One way to further build community is to have members of the community participating in sports. These programs will not only provide entertainment and exercise, but they also bring neighbors together. In the end, this is one of the main goals of the foundation-to build community among the people of the Chapare.
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| Local Home Renovations |
Living conditions in the area are desperate. Houses are thrown together with old boards and look as though they are about to fall down. There are no doors or windows as we know them. As our program grows, we would like to improve living conditions not only by adding sanitation features, but also by making repairs to our neighbors´ homes.
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These are just a few of the ways that we can help improve the lives of those living in the Chapare, but we cannot do it alone. With the help of volunteer donations and abilities, we can make these programs become realities. Together we can build a future for these people, and a feeling of hope.
We need your help!
If you have any questions, please contact us at:
Michaelmarroquin@hotmail.com
or
(country code 011) 591-7-745-0377
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Independent Catholic Lay Missionaries:Serving Bolivia's impovereshed people