Intern or Volunteer with a Grassroots Community Development Organization in Bolivia

  Bolivia

Cochabamba

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Trimester, Winter 
Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: See FSD Website

Description: Examples of how you can support Community Development in Bolivia:

* Organize work projects with the community of Maria Auxiliadora, a communally owned neighborhood for women who have experienced intra-familial violence. Build houses, widen and cobble roads, plant trees, and work with city officials and community leaders to help improve the water, garbage management, and composting systems.

* Support the construction and maintenance of the schools infrastructure, including school buildings, school dormitories for children and staff, as well as the infrastructure of greenhouses and model gardens.

* Support construction of a media center for hosting plays, art exhibitions, and videos that address issues such as HIV/AIDS.

* Assist in the design and construction of housing improvement projects such as internal bathrooms and kitchens for lowincome and peri urban areas.

* Research social, political, environmental, economic and cultural issues and assess their impact on marginalized communities.

* Conduct radio appearances to raise HIV/AIDS awareness. Prepare material for radio and television programs that provide information on HIV/AIDS, such as public service announcements.

* Write and publish articles for national and international newspapers and magazines to promote health, human rights, gender
equality, and HIV/AIDS education.

For more opportunities in community development in Bolivia visit our website or contact us directly.

About FSD
The Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) is an 11 year-old non-profit organization that provides hands-on, service-learning internships and volunteer opportunities for those looking to gain development experience and make a genuine impact on an international community. Our programs are located in eight countries throughout Latin America, East Africa, and India.

Students and professionals spend their time working with one of 160 different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) partnered with FSD, experientially learning and applying sustainable development solutions. Project work is collaboritively designed and implemented by the participant, the FSD Site Team, and the organization. In the end, participants acquire development skills and training, while immersing themselves in foreign language and culture. Interns and volunteers also have the experience of a lifetime, making long-standing relationships with their host families, host organizations, and the communities they serve.

About FSD

The Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1995 to support underserved, international communities in a collaborative and sustainable manner. Our model incorporates three overlapping programs:

1. Sustainable Development Training Programs for Interns and Volunteers
FSD provides comprehensive training and immersion programs for interns and volunteers seeking hands-on experience in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Program participants come from countless professions and more than 300 universities worldwide to collaborate with our partner organizations on community-driven projects that reflect sustainable practices.

2. Grantmaking to Projects and Initiatives Led By Our Partner Organizations
Donations and grants given to FSD are used to support projects and initiatives implemented by our partner organizations, site teams, interns, and volunteers.

3. Sustainable Development of Community-Based Organizations
Our professional field staff, consultants, and program participants provide on-site technical training and capacity building to more than 200 community-based organizations.

Highlights: Development Issues Addressed by FSD in Bolivia
The most pressing community development issue in Bolivia is its lack of essential infrastructure. In the nineties, many important services were put into the hands of private companies. One of the results of this privatization was that certain neighborhoods were denied access to basic rights such as clean water, proper sewage and garbage systems, irrigation, plumbing, and basic housing. Families that live without these important services are more likely to contract illnesses, be malnourished, have problems with their children's education, and have difficulty sustaining their incomes. These problems in turn affect community development, so that in Bolivia, supporting fundamental infrastructure is essential to building strong communities.

Safe drinking water is at the center of many community development initiatives in Bolivia. Those who suffer from illnesses related to the paucity of safe drinking water lose more than their health. When sick, the community members are unable work in their fields, thus losing potential income due to this decreased time planting, weeding, and harvesting their crops. Also, local school teachers say that the youngest students are especially susceptible to becoming sick from unsafe water - resulting in missed school days and a fragmented education.

Many NGOs have already stepped in to address these pressing concerns. FSD partner organizations work to bring safe drinking water to rural communities and support infrastructure on various levels. Interns in Bolivia have the opportunity to work on the front-lines with these issues without needing engineering experience.

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: Depends on Program Selected; See FSD Website

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: FSD supports participants who boldly wish to initiate the change they believe is necessary in the developing world. Interns are passionate about sharing their practical knowledge, heart-felt enthusiasm, and economic resources with communities abroad that suffer unnecessary hardship. They wish to gain hands-on, grassroots development experience because they believe change is most powerfully cultivated on a community level. The aim is to experientially learn how their work can empower the community toward applying sustainable development solutions, rather than increasing reliance on foreign aid. Participants choose FSD because the program structure enables them to design and implement their own sustainable projects in collaboration with their host organization and the FSD Site Team. They are able to test their ideas and theories in the most direct way possible, giving them the experience and knowledge they seek. The flexibility of the host organizations allows for participants at all stages and levels of experience in international development to participate, thus opening the programs to a diverse group of capable applicants.

Age Range: 18-75

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Bolivia Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 3-10

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Foundation for Sustainable Development's Mission Statement: FSD supports the efforts of grassroots organizations in the developing world that are working to better their communities, environments, and the economic opportunities around them. We believe community development is only sustainable if it empowers the people to effectively use and cultivate their own resources in a conscious manner. Through our programs, we aim to raise international awareness of the economic challenges in developing countries and to support cross-cultural communities in finding more effective solutions to development issues.

Year Founded: 1995