I will be spending quite a bit of time in Bolivia (~9 weeks) but I have a very small budget and therefore will not be spending much money on tours or plane flights. Instead I would love to know if there are any work projects going on, or that will be going on during the months of April and May. Doing a google search all the options I found required me to pay at least $1000, money I do not have. I am willing to buy my own food and camp out, I don't need anyone to hold my hand, but I would like to be able to contribute to the country with my labor. Do these options exist?
1
schmuck
By posting here I am sure you will receive many posts offering free board and room for labour etc. do a search on this post. Also depending upon which country your Passport is from, you may ned to extend / pay for addutional days beyond 30 days in Bolivia, - again search this forum, either pay or travel to a neighbouring country Chile / Peru for at least a few hours before returning. Just to be prepared. Have never heard of Volunteers paying a thousand dollars, must be a charlatan outfit or somebody making a business out of "volunteering".
2
erik07
The site 'Volunteer South America' may be to some help: www.volunteersouthamerica.net</a>
From the member akirakhan in the thread 'Volunteering in Bolivia', 31-Dec-2007, I have learned about IdeaList.org: www.idealist.org</a>
And from member onemorecoffee in the thread 'Summer Volunteer Work', 02-Jan-2008, I learned about IndependentVolunteer.org: www.independentvolunteer.org</a>
The TT search function is not very good, and may be tricky. And the tags introduced in TT4 (the Thorn Tree version 4 of 26 Nov 2007) are not for much help. (You cannot search for a combination of two or more tags).
But still, try the search here on the Thorn Tree, for instance for: volunteer Bolivia
(With plus signs. Will return posts containing both these two words).
Good luck !
3
xavi1337
It appears from reading a few of the posts linked to that I would not be very useful to the volunteering community in Bolivia. While i can speak both english and spanish fluently, I have limited financial resources, which seems to be the most needed thing at the moment. I will keep my ears open though as I really want to find some way to contribute to Bolivia. Wouldn't it be great if some volunteers got together and works on road building and improvements, but i guess that isn't happening at the moment.
So I need to pose this question: what is the most fulfilling thing to do in Bolivia that can leave a positive impact?
4
benmont
hey, im bolivian and i know lots of people from europe and elsewhere who have come here through these volunteer programs they offer there or on the net. but i know for sure theyre a rip off, they do take your money claiming they spend it well. the truth is, bolivia is a really cheap country and safe too. im really touched by the fact theres people willing to come here and just give some much needed help with things like that.
theres definitely heaps of working projects here but you wont hear from them abroad since people from here can get the message outside because of language barriers and so on. if you speak spanish you would be able to find lots of things to help with here, and surely make a difference. i myself have for a while wanted to help here especially poor people in the country or elsewhere. the problem for me is, normal usually well off bolivian people are not very interested in helping others, which is why i havent been able to find anyone to do it with and lacked the motivation to do it by myself. dont know if ill be able to join a project this year though as i am a little busy at the moment but will be more than happy to assist you or inform you with anything i might know
6
erik07
As you speak both English and Spanish it ought to be possible to find relevant volunteering options.
I would suggest to you to contact Care, CI and WCS:
Care (CARE): www.carebolivia.org</a>
Conservación Internacional Bolivia: www.conservation.org.bo</a>
Wildlife Conservation Society: www.wcs.org</a>
(You can also read about these organizations at www.wikipedia.org</a>)
In a recent thread 'vegetarian', 24-Jan-2008, in this Bolivia forum the member JimMc mentions the site BoliviaBella.com
This site has a page www.boliviabella.com/volunteer-in-bolivia.html</a> (with links) and here and at the page www.boliviabella.com/care-bolivia.html</a> volunteering for Care International in Bolivia is recommended.
Your question "what is the most fulfilling thing to do in Bolivia that can leave a positive impact?" ought to start an interesting discussion.
I hope for contributions.
7
gravity_bolivia
You can also volunteer at an Animal refuge called La Senda Verde in Yolosa, los Yungas.. with various frindly rescued animals. You can contact them at 00591102213996 or 0059173512918 both english spoken.
8
lhschwar
I just posted this as a new thread but then saw your post so I just copy and pasted. Maybe spending time in the jungle is someting you're looking for. PM me if you have questions.
My wife and I just got done spending a month in the Torewa Community located within Madidi National Park in Bolivia. The small community (about 12 families) located just off the Rio Bení about three hours upstream from Rurrenabaque is looking to open a community ecolodge in May along the lines of Chalalan, Mapajo and San Miguel del Bala. However, instead of charging US$65-100 per day, they'll be catering to more budget travelers (about US$40 per day all included).
This is a community of wonderful people who desperately need to earn money to improve their health situation and education, amongst other things. They currently do not own a boat and are in serious trouble if someone becomes seriously ill as it may take days to find a boat to take them to Rurre.
This project will be completely funded by the community and there will be no outside investors. This is NOT the old "work for free so I can make money off of you" like you see elsewhere. The community has no electricity, running water, or means of communication with the outside world. Quite an exciting place to be.
They are completely self-sufficient and very respectful of the local flora and fauna. We saw 4 different types of monkeys, many turtles and tortoises, tracks of tapirs and jaguars, and plenty of beautiful birds. They hunt NONE of these animals, unlike many other indigenous communities within the park.
They need volunteers to teach English to both the children and the adults (future guides), help out with tourist planning, and other things. The only thing they ask is that you pay your own way there and back (about US$100 to rent the entire boat round trip) and that you pay a small amount for your own food (about US$13 per week). Other than that, you'll be able to spend absolutely no money there.... even if you wanted to.
We set up a very basic website with more complete information and photos (Torewa website). If you have any other questions, please feel free to send me a PM or follow the info on the website.
This is a wonderful opportunity to spend time helping a community that desperately needs it while enjoying nature in one of the world's most diverse ecosystems. We've volunteered in both Ecuador and Peru for over 2 months and this was definitely our best experience.
_______________________________
Travelling and Volunteering around South America - LeeandJanelle.com
9
erik07
After my above post (#7) I have posted about volunteering in the thread "volunteering in bolivia and mexico", 25-Feb-2008.
With a new link: www.bolivia-online.net/content_en/cochabamba_voluntariado.php</a>
As a reply to your question "what is the most fulfilling thing to do in Bolivia that can leave a positive impact?" I can refer to my post in the thread 'Long-term Volunteering in South or Central America?', 16-Feb-2008.
I point at volunteering in connection with sustainable & community-based tourism in Bolivia.
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