Bolivia – Suyana Fundación

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We started working in Bolivia in 2006 and
our Programme Healthy Municipality has been running since 2007. In 2020, our integral programme was replaced by an emergency plan due to the pandemic.
Most of the places where we work are at around 3’500 m.a.s.l., where the land is arid and the climate is harsh.
There is no regular public transport service to the communities and basic health services are scarce. The people live in extreme poverty.
From 2021 – 2023 we will be working in the departament of La Paz in the poorest communities of the following municipalities: Ayata, Chuma, Mocomoco, Cairoma, Malla, Sapahaqui, Yaco, Licoma and San Pedro de Curahuara.

Our 9 operational teams consist of a doctor, a dentist a medical assistant and an agronomist who live and work in the communities. Team members are Bolivian and speak the local language.
Our 9 mobile units equipped with a dental surgery are 4×4 vehicles and can travel travel on the worst road conditions.
Our activities follow our Programme Healthy Municipality three-year plan, promote healthy living and have an impact on what the people we work with think and do.
We encourage children, their families and schools to take the initiative.
We cooperate with the beneficiaries and authorities – ministries, local, regional and governmental institutions, and local leaders.

Thanks to our teams, locals have access to basic medical and dental care and can visit a doctor and a dentist at least once a year. The latter is important as 95% of the rural population have cavities.
Our prevention work includes raising the awareness of families, teachers and students of how to look after their health. As a result they practice healthy habits which helps to reach goals such as “zero cavities” and reduce child malourishment.
The public healthcare system is strengthened through training sessions and equipment, and more patients can be seen, and are always treated with dignity and respect. Supporting public health entities is crucial as only a few have a dental surgery.

In cooperation with local authorities, parents, teachers and children, we upgrade school infrastructure: kitchen and school dining areas, toilets and wash corners, to improve the quality of education and nutrition.
All too often the school meal is the only healthy meal children eat each day so we help schools to improve nutrition by setting up greenhouses and/or raising poultry or other small animals.
We organise vocational training courses for secondary school students to boost their skills and capacities. This gives young people better prospects for the future and reduces migration to urban areas.
All educational materials used are developed by us and support theoretical and practical training.

We encourage and coach families to create healthy homes.
We provide technical support at each step of the production chain: improve livestock, diversify agricultural production, process and sell products. The families and cooperatives learn what they can do to improve their income sustainably.
We train family members to become auxiliary vets and farming experts.
We hold training sessions and communities do clean-up campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of preserving the environment and conserving non-renewable resources.
To ensure sustainable access to water we support setting up government-accredited water committees.