Bolivia’s income inequality is the highest in Latin America and one of the highest in the world. The poor have limited access to safe water, sanitation facilities or education. And if a family falls off the grid for any reason – ill health, losing a job, becoming homeless – there’s no support net. No way back up to stability. Families who fall off the grid in this way have no significance in Bolivian society.
Because of the extreme poverty, particularly in rural areas, Bolivia is a common migration point to the USA, as families seek a better life elsewhere. In cities, addictions to glue and and prescription drugs begin in street children as young as 5 years old.
Key Stats
Population:
12.2 million
Life expectancy:
72.5 years
Below poverty line:
37.2%
Children under 5:
3.4% are underweight
Literacy rate:
92.5%
Stats from The World Factbook.
Feeding the Hungry in Bolivia
Isaac and Anali Butcher moved from the UK back to Anali’s home nation of Bolivia with their two children in 2021. Filled with compassion for the street children in Santa Cruz and the impoverished indigenous tribes in the villages, they are determined to make a difference.
Buying land 100km away from the city, their vision of a resource centre for families in crisis is beginning to take shape.
“On [a] short visit we met around 50 young people or families in various locations; sleeping rough in archways, derelict doorways and under canal bridges.
We met two girls who were sisters; one 15, the other 16. They had run away from an abusive situation. The intention of Isaac and Anali is that girls in similar circumstances would be welcomed into a loving environment at the centre, which would offer them healing, restoration and hope for the future.”
Gwyn Williams, Feed The Hungry UK
The resource centre has multiple purposes:
- The centre will offer a form of rehabilitation for abandoned children and young people. Without this intervention many find their way to the streets of Santa Cruz, La Paz and Cochabamba and many end up addicted to drugs. Many centres that operate in city areas struggle to keep children permanently engaged or when they hit 18yrs and can no longer stay in the centres they escape back to their previous lives. By setting the centre in the countryside and working to find and help families that want to adopt children, Isaac hopes to have more success in placing children into families and providing a permanent support network of love and education.
- When the scenario involves several family members the plan is to keep family together and with permission from the authorities we may also be able to provide a safe place for young mothers with children.
- Finally, the centre resources outreach into rural villages. Working with local churches, Isaac identifies particularly vulnerable families and provides food parcels from Feed The Hungry UK. He is also inspiring the local church to engage with the needs of their community, injecting a missional heart into church communities.
Over time, Isaac and Anali plan to grow food to be self-sustainable, and eventually develop a food brand for sale to support their work.
Building hope
With financial support from us, the centre is halfway through construction – but Isaac and Anali are not prepared to wait before they get started. We provide food to Isaac, who cooks and distributes meals to hungry children every week in the city and rural villages in Bolivia. He and Anali are building a reputation with the street children and impoverished families, already beginning their ministry.
For Isaac and Anali, the centre they are constructing takes families on a journey from disaster to safety. But it goes further than that. It leads them to self-sustainable life and then to significance: taking their place again in Bolivian society.
Give a gift to support Isaac and Anali’s work in Bolivia, sharing the love of Christ to those suffering from addictions and poverty in Bolivia. Your donation will help them set up the resource centre, offering food and hope to families trapped by addictions and poverty.
