Luis with our Bolivia Team

By Luis Arguedas, Costa Rica Country Director

Bolivia is a very nice country. It has huge mountains, some of the tallest in the world. It also has part of the Amazon and 37 different aboriginal cultures with their own language and ways of life. Right away, you can imagine the diversity and also the amount of effort the country has to do to integrate its people and manage social problems. After the “sorocho” (altitude sickness because of lack of oxygen) the second impression on the country is its poverty. I am not saying this because I am a pessimist; I say it because right out from the airport zone in La Paz, we encounter the city of “El Alto” where poverty and lack of all urban planning is really apparent.

When I arrived to Cochabamba, where the office of Projects Abroad is in Bolivia, I felt better. It is only at 2600m. (by the way, El Alto is at only 4100m). The people at the office there are just great. I was really well treated and every staff member is just full of kindness.

The next day and for the whole week, I visited their projects and had the opportunity to talk with Daniela (Bolivia s country director) about ideas and ways of managing the program. It was really helpful and enriching since as a Country Director, sometimes it is not easy to compare projects and share experiences at a distance. This trip really helped me to see more what we have been doing well in Costa Rica and what we have to improve and, thanks to Daniela, I have very good tools to improve some aspects of the program right away.

Something else that really impressed me is the type of projects in Bolivia. Being one of the poorest countries in Latin America, there is a huge need for help in the areas in which Projects Abroad is involved (by the way, they are doing a terrific job) and the volunteers get involved 110% in their projects. I visited a medical placement where a volunteer helped vaccinating 50,000 people in its first week against Yellow Fever. I could go on for pages and pages, but Matthew would not like me much if I take up the whole space in this newsletter!

I want to thank Projects Abroad for this experience and the kind people of Bolivia, not just the staff, but everyone who I encounter. They are really welcoming and genuine people.

For anyone who wants to go to Bolivia, I recommend it sincerely, and maybe, in the near future I will be returning for some holidays there because I really want to have time to visit this wonderful country.