Habitat for Humanity Bolivia

Contact information HFH Bolivia P.O. Box 1391 Cochabamba Bolivia Phone: +591 44200330 Fax: +591 44582448 E-mail: habitat@habitatbolivia.org         Web site www.habitatbolivia.org				Habitat's Work in Bolivia Number of families served this year*: 129 Full house sponsorship cost: US$8,540 Incremental house sponsorship cost: US$2,660         Bolivia News and Stories Volunteers help in human rights education for children Access to adequate housing in Bolivia’s new constitution
Country profile

Mission
Habitat for Humanity Bolivia works in partnership with God and people from all around the world to develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses, so that each person has adequate housing in their community and experience the love of God, living and growing in all that God proposes.

History
Habitat for Humanity Bolivia was established in 1985, in the Alto Beni community in La Paz, with the purpose of eradicating subhuman housing in Bolivia by building simple, adequate and affordable housing.

Habitat Bolivia works in five departments in the country: La Paz, Oruro, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.

Housing need in Bolivia
Bolivia has a population of over 9 million people, 55 percent of which do not have access to potable water and sewage services.

Statistics also show that out of the total population, 58 percent of Bolivian families live in huts that do not meet the minimum living conditions, lacking basic services and sanitation. Thirty-one percent of homes accommodate three or more people per bedroom.

Approximately 38 percent of Bolivian homes are built with adobe (clay and straw), and 69 percent of the houses have dirt floors. Due to the materials used for their construction, these homes are highly susceptible for the breeding of pests, such as the vinchuca bug which transmits "Chagas" disease, an incurable neurological disease that can result in death. The vinchuca bug thrives in adobe. However, it cannot survive in the brick and cement homes built by Habitat for Humanity Bolivia.

Model Projects
Habitat for Humanity Bolivia supports several initiatives, in addition to traditional home construction.

Advocacy
Advocacy efforts in Bolivia have contributed to significant constitutional changes which defend the basic human right to adequate housing and to the city.

Financial Education
This project is aimed at educating and accompanying partner families in the planning and administration of their home economy. The manuals and methodology used are the result of a project designed by Habitat for Humanity International and financed by Citi Foundation. Through a series of workshops, families learn to administer their income and expenses, design a budget, analyze and control their expenses, and follow a savings plan. Families are also informed about the risks and advantages of taking out loans with Habitat for Humanity or other organizations.

Complete Houses
In addition to the projects above, Habitat for Humanity Bolivia continues to build complete homes. Homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor, helping to build their houses and the houses of others, together with volunteers. Their monthly payments go into a Local Rotating Fund, which allows the construction of new homes.