Despite high economic growth and relatively low inflation, Bolivia’s most vulnerable groups – largely Indigenous people who represent close to half of the population – continue to experience discrimination that leads to greater food insecurity, poorer quality education, and less access to the health system compared to the general population.
Poverty and gender-based violence in Bolivia is among the highest in Latin America, and child sexual and labour exploitation is similarly high.
Children living in poverty have also been more severely impacted by lack of access to technology for online schooling, which has resulted in greater learning loss for children in remote and peri-urban areas.
Another concern is the rising rate of malnutrition among children and youth aged 5 to 18, including obesity which is a product of poor dietary diversity and insufficient access to healthy food, especially fresh fruit and vegetables.
In 2022, CFTC and its donors supported 6,533 children and adults in Bolivia:
providing 116,707 meals through schools and after-school centres
establishing 152 gardens for food and income
supporting 90 new business ventures (90% women-owned)
engaging 579 students in SRHR training
Trusted information about sexual and reproductive health is fundamental for adolescents.
Dr. Karen Butrón
UNICEF Bolivia
The Challenges
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE &
CHILD / YOUTH EXPLOITATION
Bolivia has the highest rates of domestic violence and child sexual exploitation in Latin America. Children and youth are subjected to bullying and violence in school and at home. More than 60% of adolescents ages 15-18 experience some form of gender-based violence each year. Child labour is rampant and until recently was codified by law. Millions of Bolivian children are at risk of neglect and homelessness.
LACK OF ACCESS TO
HEALTH AND EDUCATION
Despite significant progress, Bolivia still has some of the highest rates of child and maternal mortality in the region, critical levels of malnutrition, and poor access to early childhood education. Rates of teen pregnancy and drop-out are high, especially among Indigenous girls. Parents and youth need support including education on positive parenting, nutrition, healthy masculinities, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
INDIGENOUS INEQUALITY
AND POVERTY
Bolivia’s Indigenous populations experience systemic disadvantages and bear the greatest burden of the widening gap between urban and rural infrastructure and services. While child poverty has been declining overall, levels of poverty still remain high for Indigenous children, youth and adults, who experience poorer health and wellbeing than the general population as a result.
Current Initiatives
EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT, SCHOOL & AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Hover or tap to find out moreYou can help make it possible for girls to get a good education by:
- Supporting safe, healthy, well-equipped schools, early childhood education centres and after-school centres
- Encouraging youth involvement in clubs and extracurricular activities
- Training educators and parents to address issues such as sexual and reproductive health and rights, sexual and gender-based violence, toxic masculinities and to promote positive parenting
NUTRITION, FOOD SECURITY & CLIMATE-ADAPTIVE FOOD PRODUCTION
Hover or tap to find out moreYou can help improve family nutrition and food security by:
- Targeting women’s involvement in climate-adaptive agricultural and horticulture initiatives
- Offering seeds, supplies and training in vegetable production and urban agriculture to women
- Helping women organize into vegetable producers’ associations
- Delivering nutrition education to parents to inspire healthy eating and food preparation, dietary diversity, and the incorporation of fruits and vegetables into family diets
Youth & Women's Livelihoods
Hover or tap to find out moreVocational, business skills and marketing training, and support for home-based businesses provide youth and women with options and increase family income. You will help women and youth pursue new business ventures by supporting initiatives that:
- Offer business skills training, equipment and supplies to establish home-based businesses
- Support mentorship, apprenticeship and occupational skills training
- Link people to markets and distribution outlets to sell what they produce
TACKLING VIOLENCE TOWARDS GIRLS, WOMEN, YOUTH
Hover or tap to find out moreYou will help address the root causes of violence towards women and children by supporting educators and opinion leaders to:
- Engage parents and caregivers in community conversations, raising awareness and inspiring action to prevent SGBV
- Promote healthy masculinities and teaching positive parenting in community workshops
- Incorporate gender equality training in women’s income and livelihoods programs
- Raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health and rights through school clubs and community dialogue for boys, girls, parents and caregivers
Learn more
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Stories of Impact: International
Check out how your support has contributed to food security, women's equality, children's education and more in CFTC donor-supported communities around the world.Download
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Join a growing community committed to making long-term changeMembers of the leadership
giving circle
giving circle
Hearing from communities
About their most significant change
The participation of mothers and fathers in nutritional practices has increased. Healthy nutrition fairs developed by the children and adolescents have generated interest in the communities. Parents have participated in the nutritional practices and [learned] how to prepare a variety of foods using local products, mainly vegetables, and they want to learn more to vary [their families’] diet.
INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO TOMÁS KATARI
Food Security
152
gardens provide food, income
383
people received agricultural training, 7 of 10 women
123
people received seeds, tools, plants, 9 of 10 women
Nutrition Education
571
students and 283 parents/caregivers received nutrition training
Livelihoods & Income
90
NEW business ventures supported (158 total), 9 of 10 women-owned
146
women trained
Childrens Education
545
students participated in after-school clubs
579
students involved in SRHR training
The Team & Approach
DELIVERING COMMUNITY-LED RESULTS THROUGHPARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC ALLIANCES IN BOLIVIA
CONGI
CFTC Bolivia participates in CONGI, a 32-member organization that coordinates development policy action among its members to benefit all Bolivians.
COCAB
CFTC is a founding member of COCAB, a non-profit institutional network of 19 NGOs and INGOs that implement programs and projects nationally or through strategic partners in Bolivia.
Join us to support long-term change
THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, WE WILL BUILD A FUTURE WHERE:
More children are raised in safe and loving environments
Parents learn positive parenting skills to create healthy, safe environments for children
Children receive optimal nutrition for healthy development in early childhood care centres and after-school programs (supplementing state-supported primary school)
Bolivian children and their parents have access to quality early childhood care and education, extra-curricular activities, and social supports that foster healthy development
Communities are a safe place for children and promote a culture of respect
