Fundacion Helping Hands - La Paz (Bolivia)

About us

The Fundacion Helping Hands - La Paz (Bolivia) became an official organization in October 2014. At that time it took over the running of the Helping Hands Project that had been run since 2004 by two volunteers, Linda Zarate and Marion Ibañez. The mission of our organization is to open educational opportunities to Bolivian youth of very limited economic resources. We receive many young people from local orphanages and other projects for youth at risk.
This year, 2015, we support the studies of 90 students, both girls and boys, mainly in post-secondary programmes of study in technical institutes and in local universities. We sometimes assist high school students to finish their high school diploma. At the moment we have 7 students in high school.
Besides the assistance we give to our students for the payment of universities fees, transportation, rent, food or school materials, we also provide free medical and dental care. To encourage integral personal development for the students we have obligatory monthly meetings with guest speakers who can give orientation and information to the students on such topics as responsibility, personal care, reproductive and sexual health, environmental concerns, Human Rights, and citizenship. In our office we provide computers and internet for the use of the students and the option to print out school assignments.
Our Social Worker makes home visits to new students and repeat visits whenever the need arises. She also helps to organize social events in the office for healthy recreation for the students. A good part of our mission is to broaden the horizons of our young people and help them realize their dreams of a better future.
The Helping Hands Project was originally run only by two volunteers, but the Project has grown to the point that we now employ an Assistant Director, a Social Worker, an Auxiliary Accountant and a Messenger. Our staff spends a lot of personal time with our students and keeps the students up to date on the monthly requirements they must fulfill for the Project, such as medical checkups, dental checkups, communication with sponsors, presentation of grades, etc.
2015 has been a challenging year for Helping Hands as our official status requires much more paperwork and fulfillment of government requirements and reports. However with our staff additions we are able to meet these demands.
The Fundacion Helping Hands- La Paz (Bolivia) is looking forward to many years of helping underprivileged Bolivia youth become professionals and productive citizens thereby breaking the cycle of poverty, giving their families a more sustainable future.

This organisation cooperates with the Maecenata Foundation:
https://support.betterplace.org/hc/de/articles/6106004149404-Was-ist-Maecenata-