Occupational Therapy in Bolivia with Projects Abroad

  Bolivia

Rural Areas

Term: Throughout the year 
Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: Inquire for dates

Description: Bolivia is a fantastic place to spend time volunteering or interning on an international medical placement in South America. Volunteering on a Medicine & Healthcare project in Boliva can be done as part of a college summer break, a gap year, a career-break, or during a vacation. As a Medicine & Healthcare volunteer you will gain a great deal of valuable work-experience alongside some of the most skilled doctors in the country. The facilities are generally of a decent standard, on a par with many hospitals in the west.

As a training or qualified Occupational Therapy volunteer in Bolivia, you'll be placed in one of a number of institutions for people who are mentally and physically disabled. While residents largely have access to the necessary physical therapy care, staff are limited in number and don't have enough time to spend one-on-one with individuals. Physical facilities in these care institutions are also often ill suited to those with disabilities and are in dire need of a skilled redesign. By coming into the home and using your skills to assess and treat the wide variety of physical and psychiatric conditions you come across, you can help these people to find purposeful activities they can participate in and help to promote independence in aspects of their life for what may be the first time since they moved there.

Depending on your interest, you could also choose to spend some time at a center for older patients with diseases such as dementia. Here, your skills could be put into action training patients in the use of aids to compensate for cognitive decline or training their caregivers in coping-behaviors and supervision. The one-on-one attention you are able to give them, combined with your experience, could make a vital difference to their condition.

Intermediate Spanish is recommended for this placement to allow volunteers to communicate with both staff and their patients. However, we can arrange a translator for interns who do not have sufficient Spanish language skills. Many interns who lack confidence in their Spanish normally take a Language course or join a Teaching or Care project before beginning their Medicine & Healthcare internship. This gives you the opportunity to improve your language skills before starting the medical part of your internship.

Highlights: Bolivia is a fantastic option for your volunteer project or internship abroad. Landlocked Bolivia occupies the heart of South America. Its attractions include Andean Peaks, tropical Amazonian forests, bustling cities and peaceful traditional communities. Bolivia will give you a real taste of this varied continent, usually a long way off the tourist trail.

Squeezed between five other countries, it's unsurprising that Bolivia's history is full of border disputes. Consequently, Bolivian culture is a melting pot of Amerindian and European. On any visit to Bolivia you will encounter local festivals and activities; people might be throwing water-balloons at each other, or there could be street processions full of color and vibrancy.

All accommodation is organized, paid for and monitored by Projects Abroad. All project placements are regularly visited and checked. We require high standards of supervision and accommodation, which are verified before you arrive in Bolivia.

This project offers the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Cost in US$: From USD 2,995 and up

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Open-minded with a willingness to travel.

Age Range: 16-80

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Bolivia Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement: As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded: 1992