Help Bolivian Children Living in Poverty

Donations received through GlobalGiving are dedicated to furthering the work we do at "La Escuelita " - the Little School - which provides intensive speech and physical therapy, special education classes, and nutrition for the children of the Rosa Vera Fund.  La Escuelita is busy all day and into the evening.  Parents take part in our family support sessions, where they have a chance to meet other parents facing similar struggles with children suffering overwhelming health problems. 

In the past, children needing speech or physical therapy needed to go to the nearest city offering such services, located 90 minutes away.  Just for one session, parents would face carrying a disabled child several miles to the nearest bus station, take a long, crowded bus ride to the city, and then make their way to the actual clinic, where they might wait several hours for their child's turn.  Then, they had to do the entire trip in reverse.  Add in the cost of transportation, and it is clear that the challenges of doing this twice a week were almost insurmountable.  

The Rosa Vera Fund has eliminated these barriers.  Every day, including Sunday, a small van makes the rounds of the town, picking up children and their moms and bringing them directly to La Escuelita.  Each child receives a nourishing, warm meal; for most of these kids, this is the only warm nutrition they will receive that day.  Parents are closely involved in the therapy sessions, learning the skills to continue the techniques at home on a daily basis.  

Children also have the opportunity to learn - to write, to read, to draw, to express themselves - through our special education classes.  The simple joys of childhood, that so many of us take for granted - are available to the children in our programs.

Links:

• More pictures and patient stories on Facebook!