How I Spent My Summer Holidays

Last May, I travelled to Bolivia 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. 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.

I volunteer as a "technical consultant" for a humanitarian group from Red Deer called A Better World. My title there is really just a fancy term for someone who is to be both creative and cheap. A Better World is assisting these rural Bolivian communities with three initiatives: financially 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.

This August I went back to Bolivia to see about setting up a tour for students and community members. It was good to see friends I met last year and to meet new people as well. It was good to see the progress on projects started earlier this year and to talk about starting construction of the new agricultural school. Being a teacher, this project really excites me! This school would be much like the apprenticeship system we have here in Canada.

I packed a lot into 12 days on the ground in Bolivia. I swam in the headwaters of the Amazon, I chewed coca leaves, I ate cuy (look it up), I walked deserted city streets during a general strike, I bought my first coffin (not a good thing; more on that in a later entry), and I cut down a banana tree in the jungle. All of these experiences shape and mold how I look at my role at Olds College, and, if nothing else, it gives me very unique examples for class: "How many people have used a GPS to tag the nearest all-night coffin store, or the top of the mountain pass to Cochibamba? Anyone? Anyone?"

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, and I hope to be part of it for many years to come.

For more information, check out:
www.a-better-world.ca

Or Marg and Jakes Hooglands blog on Bolivia at:
Blog page: www.hooglandsinbolivia.blogspot.com
Pictures:www.mjhoogland.myphotoalbum.com