With about 90,000 infected and almost 4,000 deaths, Bolivia is devastated by COVID19. With no more available intensive care beds in the hospitals, overfilled cemeteries, people dying in the streets and numerous infected doctors and nurses, the health sector is on the verge of collapse.
With a total lockdown going on for almost five months, poverty and general violence, – particularly domestic violence, is soaring. Future4Children and the local partner Huellas&Futuro have been able to intervene in some horrifiying cases of violence against children. However, the extreme social distancing measurements have prevented us from continuing the project WAWAS (before the pandemic we had helped almost 10´000 victims and children “at high risk” of domestic violence).
As the pandemic has drastically increased the number of people living in extreme poverty, we decided not to sit still but to shift our focus to immediately help desperately needy people with food and basic necessities.
How many people have been involved in helping with the food distribution?
We have been 16 people organising, buying and distributing the products. Each of us have worked at least 10 full days. Due to the lockdown we also had to work at nighttime, specially to drive to reach far-off villages, often on narrow, steep and pitch-dark roads.
How did you finance the supplies and delivery?
Partly from donations, partly from the organisations’s budget and a big part from the team as we decreased 50% of our salaries.
How many trips did you make to distribute the food?
We have done about 20 trips each with about 3 cars and 9 people. We had to buy the groceries, organise them into family baskets, drive and distribute them to the target communities.
What and how much have you distributed?
We have given away about 500 kg rice, 500 kg sugar, 500 kg flour, 900 kg pasta, 500 liters cooking oil, 15000 eggs, 200 breads, 2000 facemasks, 350 liters sanitizers, 1000 packs toilet paper, 500 liters liquid soap and 800 cans of fish.
How many people did you help so far?
About 2500 individuals. That is about 500 families, consisting of 1000 parents and 1500 children.
