Intern or Volunteer with a Grassroots Women's Empowerment 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 and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: See FSD Website

Description: Examples of how you can support Women's Empowerment in Bolivia:

* Support implementation of workshops and seminars that provide training to women in leadership, autonomy, literacy, sexual education, health, micro-enterprise development, and women's rights.

* Educate women who've suffered intra-familial violence in vocational skills and micro-enterprise management so that they may autonomously support their families.

* Provide legal counseling for victims of abuse and violence. Locate medical, psychological, social, legal, and educational help for victims of abuse and violence including children, adolescents, women, and families.

* Work at a residential shelter for girls who have been forced out of their homes by situations of physical, psychological or sexual abuse. The project encourages them to embark on a process of social reintegration. The shelter also works to sensitize society about the situation faced by marginalized young women.

* Get involved with a wide variety of business development trainings and micro-credit programs for the creation and support of women micro-entrepreneurs.

* Research newly implemented health, education, and microenterprise capacity building programs to assess their contribution to women's empowerment. Results are used to make programmatic adjustments.

For more opportunities in women's empowerment in Bolivia, see our website or contact us directly.

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
Gender violence in Bolivia causes more death and disability among women aged 15 to 44 than do cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, or war. Around fifty percent of women from a variety of living circumstances have admitted to being subject to physical abuse or intimidation in their lifetime. The vast majority of these threats come from within the family. Among Latin American countries, Bolivia also has the highest rate of maternal mortality and the lowest frequency of prenatal care. Women have little access to cervical cancer screening, contraceptive methods, or education about sexual health of any kind despite the fact that fifty seven percent of Bolivian women engage in sex before the age of twenty. These problems are aggravated by the subordinate roles women play in Bolivian society. Women do not have the economic ability to separate themselves from oppressive, violent situations nor the educational opportunities to change their plight.

FSD works at the grassroots level to empower socioeconomically excluded women and provide the resources and knowledge needed to mobilize change. Our partner NGOs provide women opportunities to gain job skills, start micro-enterprises, borrow money, live in safe communities, and become educated in all aspects of health. Solutions are well integrated into local customs and recognize the sensitivity of changing a culture that has channeled violence and anger through women for many generations.

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