Travel to Teach: Volunteer in Bolivia

We are not currently sending volunteers to programs in Bolivia. We have decided to concentrate our efforts on our programs in Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador and Mexico.

As a volunteer in Bolivia you will get to fully experience the Bolivian way of life while honing your Spanish language skills. Our Bolivian program offers the broadest range of projects for you to choose from. If you are interested in Teaching, Conservation, Eco Tourism, Community Development, Museums, Sports or Art then Travel to Teach has the ideal volunteer placement for you.

Bolivia has some of the highest poverty levels in South America. As a volunteer you will get the opportunity to experience Bolivia, while at the same time serving the communities that need help and learning about their culture. Choosing our homestay program and living with a Bolivian family will allow you to experience the reality of Bolivian life.

Our volunteer working vacations give you the opportunity to contribute to several community projects involving Agriculture, Conservation, Infrastructure and Construction, among others.

Bolivia

Bolivia is called the Tibet of the Americas- the highest and most isolated of the Latin American republics. A landlocked country lying astride the widest stretch of the Andean Cordillera, Bolivia spills though a maze of tortured hills and valleys into the vast forests and savannas of the Amazon and Paraná basins, it's geographical and climatic zones ranging from snow-capped Andean peaks to vast, low-lying savannas and jungles. With two mayor indigenous groups and several smaller ones, Bolivia is also the most traditional country on the South American continent. Over 50% of the population are of pure Indian blood, and many people maintain traditional cultural values and beliefs.

Bolivia has certainly had a turbulent and explosive history, but nowadays its image as haunt of revolutionaries and drug barons is greatly overstated. Although it still faces some difficult problems, it remains one of South America's most peaceful, secure and inviting countries.

Volunteer Locations

Santa Cruz: Known as the Orient of Bolivia, Santa Cruz is described by many as 'sensual and festival'. Now the economic heart of the country it has a population of around 1,000,000 Bolvians. Santa Cruz has an altitude of 1,500 feet above sea level with an average temperature of 70F in winter and as high as 90F in summer months. During winter, rainfall occurs in short downpours, but in summer a single deluge can last for days. Santa Cruz also experiences heavy and chilly winds called surazos that blow in from the Argentine pampas.

Bolivia Facts:

General: Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production.
Located: Central South America, southwest of Brazil.
Area: 1,098,580 sq km
Population: 8,857,870
Ethnic Groups: Quechua 30%, Mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%.
Language: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
Literacy: Definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.2%, male: 93.1%, female: 81.6% (2003 est.)
Government: Republic
Money: Boliviano (approx 9 Bolivianos to 1 Euro)
Climate: Varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semi-arid

Economy - overview: Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4 percent in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence.