Last May, I travelled to Bolivia with A Better World to help out at a couple of orphanages. While I was there, I fell in love. I really didn’t mean to, but the country stole my heart and wouldn't let me go. Though I have been in the backwaters of every continent except Antartica, Bolivia grabbed my attention like no other place I've ever been. It is a beautiful country with the promise of a bright future. There is potential in Bolivia: land, water, and sunshine. Throw in a little knowledge, some hard work, and a bit of political stability, and you have the ingredients for success.
Bolivia is homesteading land like Canada did at the turn of the century. People are moving from the mountains to farm in the jungle. These new rural communities have great need, and great promise.
A Better World is supporting these rural communities with three initiatives. Supporting rural health assessments and treatment, promoting practical hands-on agricultural training, and helping to develop agricultural infrasturcture. Already, this years' health fund has been exhausted, and we are looking at increasing the funding for it next year. Two agricultural infrastructure projects are just being completed, and, by April 2009, we would like to have the first phase of the agricultural school complete.
My job with A Better World is to solve problems. The problem I pondered as we were working at those orphanages last May was "why are these kids here?" Supporting orphanages, though a necessary work, is really treating the symptom without addressing the underlying disease. In this case, the problem is poverty. Address that, and the need for orphanages is decreased. By providing care for immediate needs but also formulating a plan that will empower citizen--both through agriculture and education--A Better World is helping Bolivians today and into the future.
Gordon Gilchrist
Technical coordinator
A Better World
Instructor
Olds College
ggilchrist@oldscollege.ca
Blogs:
http://gordonatabw.blogspot.com/
http://gordatoldscollege.blogspot.com/
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