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Update: Bolivian Crisis

Most of our Bolivian projects are once again receiving funds.  A majority of schools are still open, and the children are receiving the support that they need.  Some paperwork has been delayed by the recent mail strike (which ended on April 21), so your children's letters may arrive much later than they normally would.  This delay, however, is for the most part no longer affecting our ability to send money to Bolivia.  If you have questions about a specific project, please contact Magda Kegley, Director of the Latin American Division, at (800) 538-5381 or at mkegley@children-inc.org. 

Update: Bolivian Crisis

Bolivia is still experiencing major unrest. 

A postal workers' strike--which is entering its third week--is the most recent crisis. Bolivia has had no mail service since late March . The country is also suffering from violent political protests and the devastating effects of a series of natural disasters. Major roads are blocked, and airports close for undetermined hours every day. The price of food has nearly tripled, and parents struggle to feed their children. President Juan Evo Morales Aymo is urging Bolivia's citizens to carry arms in anticipation of civil war. Bolivia's most developed and industrialized city, Santa Cruz, is on the brink of seceding and becoming an autonomous country. 

If you sponsor a child in Bolivia, please be aware that your child’s letters will be greatly delayed by the mail strike. Distressingly, our financial support will also be late in reaching our Bolivian projects. All of us at Children, Incorporate are deeply concerned about this situation, and Magda Kegley, Director of the Latin American Division, is leading the effort to find a way to send help. If you have any questions about the status of our Bolivian programs, please contact Magda at (800) 538-5381 or at mkegley@children-inc.org.

Update: Bolivian Crisis

Marcela Molina, coordinator of our Bolivian projects, recently sent us the following update on Santa Ana de Yacuma:

“I have just called Sister Ana (project volunteer at Lourdes school) and she assured me that the Children, Incorporated children are doing well.  It has rained for the past 3 days, but there is no further flooding.  The ground is saturated everywhere you go.  Sister Ana, in order to get around and check on our families, travels by canoe. 

She said that most of the village families are living under tents and they are expected to remain there until June, more or less.  I informed her that Children, Incorporated is about to send funds to help the families with their most urgent needs. I asked her to take photographs of the flooding and of the makeshift tent communities.  She said  that she would, but that it might take sometime as she prefers to wait until some of the water recedes.  The important thing is that the children are safe.  Some of the classes are being held under tents.  The teachers do not want the children to go too long without schooling. 

The truth is that the situation in Bolivia worsens with each passing day.  Inflation has grown considerably, and it’s difficult for people to afford to buy anything.  The value of the dollar decreases every week and workers' salaries continue to decrease.  Last night, here in La Paz, there were some violent encounters between two groups of protesters.  I had to stay at work until after 10PM because the demonstrations were across the street from where I live.  We all pray that our country's situation will improve one of these days." 

Update: Bolivian Crisis

We are grateful to be able to report that all of our Santa Ana de Yacuma children were safely evacuated. None of them were injured in the flood that destroyed their village.

Their situation, however, remains grim. They are all living with their families in makeshift tents, and their village will not be restored for many months. Meanwhile, the floodwaters remain high and have made it almost impossible to transport goods into the refugee camp.  The evacuees currently have very little food or water.

We thank our generous supporters for the funds we have received for this relief effort. If you have not donated, we encourage you to do so.  We will use these initial donations to supply the Santa Ana de Yacuma evacuees with food and water-sterilization tablets. Magda Kegley, director of our Latin American Division, is collaborating with our coordinators in Bolivia to ensure that the first shipment of goods arrives quickly.   

We will continue to post updates on this situation.  As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Crisis in Bolivia

The remote Bolivian village of Santa Ana de Yacuma has been destroyed in a massive flood.  153 of the village's children receive support through Children, Incorporated--but they are now homeless and without even the most basic of resources.

Their houses are immersed in water up to their roofs, and the village's school and clinic have been damaged beyond repair.  The crops are destroyed, and the livestock are dead.  The villagers have no food and no clean drinking water.   Distressingly,  Bolivia’s recent political upheaval will probably slow the distribution of government assistance.

Children, Incorporated is working to raise $30,600 ($200 per child) in immediate aid.  You can help by donating to this cause.  For each $2 you donate, an anonymous donor will contribute $1 (up to a total matching gift of $10,200).  The children in Santa Ana truly need our help.  Our aid money will help to obtain for them such necessities as food, water, medication, bedding, clothing, hygiene items, cooking materials, mosquito nets, and supplies for rebuilding.   

We will post regular updates on the situation in Santa Ana de Yacuma, so check back often!

Before the flood, the children lived in very modest stick-and-mud homes:

Those homes are now almost completely submerged.  Only the roofs are visible above the floodwaters: