Geography and people
Bolivia, a landlocked country in west central South America, borders Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile and Peru. Despite being situated on a high plateau between two Andes Mountain ranges, 63 percent of Bolivia is actually lowland and includes jungle, pasture and scrubland.
Natural resources include gold, silver, tin, zinc, iron, petroleum, natural gas, timber and hydropower.
Most of Bolivia’s residents are indigenous Quechua or Aymara, or mestizo, of mixed Spanish and Amerindien descent. Caucasian Bolivians, who make up 15 percent of the population, are of Spanish descent. The 2009 constitution designated Quechua, Aymara, and Guarani as official languages alongside Spanish, and also recognised 36 indigenous languages.
Population
Life expectancy
Literacy rate
Access to safe water
Average annual income
School enrollment
Our Achievements in Bolivia
World Vision’s child sponsorship work in Bolivia began in 1975. Since then, some major accomplishments include:
Child Development
Sponsoring children and establishing orphanages and childcare centres in the 1970s.
Education
Providing books, tables and chairs to schoolchildren in the 1990s.
Health
Training community healthcare providers and teaching children the importance of dental and general hygiene care during the 1990s.
Community Development
Training local service providers, so they can offer educational programmes, family healthcare, agricultural training and human rights advocacy since 2000.
Food security
Helping farmers grow a wide range of vegetables year-round and teaching them how to prepare balanced meals to improve their children's health since the beginning of the millennium.
