Tarija, Bolivia - South America
Over 1,373 homes were repaired or constructed in 2008 to prevent the Chagas disease!
In 2008, more than 5,000 Bolivian families received health education about Chagas disease prevention thanks to Esperança!
Help us Reach our Goals for 2009!
- Repair and construct 2,800 homes to prevent the continuous transmission of Chagas disease
- Equip 380 Community Health Workers with a hat, backpack, and educational information in order to educate families living in their communities
- Provide 12,000 families with important health information and resources to prevent infant mortality from diarrheal diseases, maternal-child emergencies, Chagas disease, malaria, and tuberculosis
Our Bolivia project is offered in several departments, or provinces, in Southern Bolivia, primarily being Tarija and Chuquisaca. Currently, we are working in the villages of Yunchará, El Puente, Entreríos, Icla, and Villamontes.
The Bolivia project was originally a USAID-funded child survival project that aimed to decrease infant mortality rates within the indigenous communities of the Andean region. Out of that project Esperanza Bolivia was born in 1982. Esperanca has been working with our partner Esperanza Bolivia in order to improve the quality of life of needy families, with programs in health, education, environment and integral development since the organization’s inception.
The foremost public health concern in Bolivia is Chagas disease, caused by the T. cruzi parasite, and transmitted primarily through a bug known as the vinchuga bug. Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates that Bolivia is the most infected country with 1.1 to 1.8 million Bolivians currently infected. This parasitic sickness is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease in South America and causes irreversible heart, esophagus, and colon damage.
The best way to prevent the Chagas disease is to eliminate the vinchuga bug that passes on the deadly parasite. Esperança educates the community about the disease through trained community health workers, and improves housing and sanitary conditions. At each project site, families learn how to refurbish their homes to protect their families from Chagas. The vinchuga bug lives in thatch roofing and cracks in walls and floors. Esperança provides the supplies and the education to replace thatch roofing with tiles, plaster the walls, and pour a concrete floor. With these simple changes, we can protect an entire family from long-term effects and eventual death caused by Chagas.
In addition to our fight against Chagas disease, Esperança also offers the following:
- Provides life-changing surgeries through our volunteer surgical program
- Trains hundreds of community health workers on important health issues affecting their villages
- Builds raised stoves to prevent children from falling into open flames
- Educates parents and teenagers on communication skills, vocational opportunities, and healthy living skills
These initiatives improve the quality of life for thousands of families every year!
