HELP Bolivia Foundation

Help Bolivia Foundation was founded in Airdrie, Alberta in 2018, and has been steadily growing to run programs in El Alto, Bolivia, including the Tahuantinsuyo Community Center and in Villa Ingenio.

The Tahuantinsuyo (Tah-wan-tin-soo'-yo) Community Centre is located in a gritty and impoverished neighborhood of El Alto. Children attend school only half a day in Bolivia, so the community center is where they can be safe and happy for the rest of the day, helping to protect them from the risk of exposure to gangs and abuse.

On-site Educators improve each child's chances of success at school and within their community by providing extra curriculum, help with homework, and counselling for the children, many of whom face challenges stemming from domestic violence and/or sexual abuse environments. Children in the program range in age from 3 to 18 years of age.

Families are required to pay a small token admission for their children to attend the community center. These families are referred to the center by schools and community leaders, and are survivors of domestic violence, and may face issues of abandonment, or have parents out of work or in temporary jobs. Many of our families are single parent.

Most of these families have migrated to the city of El Alto from the countryside in the hopes of elevating themselves and their families out of poverty. Like most parents, they want a better life for themselves and their children. Sadly, many parents & grandparents are illiterate, and are unable to help their children with homework. The majority of our families are of the indigenous group the Aymara. Often the grandparents can only speak their regional dialect.

In addition to homework support, extra educational classes, and counselling, Help Bolivia also runs a hot lunch program that provides a daily nutritious meal and snacks to the children at the community center. For the vast majority, this is the only nutritious meal they receive in a day.

Hungry children have a hard time learning. The educational support, and the lunch program are vital components of building brighter futures for these underprivileged children.

In Fall 2022 a second program for children started up in Villa Ingenio, another impoverished neighbourhood in El Alto. This program currently runs on Saturday afternoons, but the goal is to grow it to a 5 day a week full support program for the children.