A family for vulnerable Bolivian children
Vulnerable children in Bolivia receive health care, an education and professional development from NPH thanks to support from people like you.
In a remote lowland village surrounded by trees and expansive green fields, lies the 9th NPH family centre, Casa Padre Wasson. The Bolivian family began in April 2005. It now has 11 family-style homes that house almost 100 children (5 homes for boys, 5 for girls and one for the babies). Since Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, NPH is eager to grow and offer more family strengthening services to children in need from local communities.
Support for surrounding villages
In 2008, the NPH family moved from Santa Cruz to our current home. Construction of a community clinic and four classrooms for primary students were completed in 2013 to support children from nearby villages too. In addition, three houses for volunteers, visitors and staff members were built in 2014. The following year, a second school building, baby house and a house for the older girls were added. In 2016, a fish farm was successfully completed, providing nutritious, fresh fish for the children. The dairy project was opened in 2021, now producing milk and dairy products.
Connection to the community
NPH Bolivia is fortunate to be near the community of Portachuelo, where the children attend the local secondary school. We are proud to have 14 university students who live in Santa Cruz and return to NPH on the weekends and during their holidays. Our on-site primary school provides a quality education to students from NPH and nearby communities.
The quest for sustainability
Our sustainable food programmes include our dairy cows, fish farming, vegetable farming and training for milk processing. They benefit more than 100 children, including those from local communities, and allow the children to access healthy and secure food. We also have an educational area where children learn how to grow their own produce. This also provides us with banana, papaya, citrus fruits, cassava, corn and other vegetables.
Because this is the newest NPH centre, the family is still working on many projects. One goal is to reach sustainable agriculture and animal production. This would make NPH Bolivia more independent of high food prices. Programmes like this also allow young people to get involved in planning and production.
The team
NPH Bolivia is led by National Director, Patricia Rueda, and around 60 staff.