Internship and Volunteer Opportunities in Bolivia

Atendi: a center that works with children with severe mental and physical needs. Atendi has a set program for mind stimulation, as teaching the children to walk, talk, or eat independently. Additionally, volunteers with experience may take part in physio and/or hydrotherapy sessions. Volunteers without experience are welcome to help in a range of projects. (For a detailed project description click here).

Ayni Ruway: provides former and current inmates with educational, vocational, and emotional support in order to successfully reintegrate into society. Opportunities include childcare, violence prevention, and educational assistance. (For a detailed project description click here).

Aynisuyu: aims to empower rural families, especially women and children, to become self-sufficient. Volunteers will be required to make field trips to rural communities to educate women on such issues as human rights and food safety. (For a detailed project description click here).

CAICC: serves children and adolescents who are abandoned because their parents are either incarcerated or have migrated to other countries to search for economic opportunities. Volunteers can help in either the day care center or the school. (For a detailed project description click here).

CEDASOL: reaches out to rural communities via programs of social and economic development. The organization installs ecological kitchens in rural communities, holds seminars about the importance of eco-friendly, sustainable development, and helps people in rural communities establish micro-enterprises. Volunteers may help with the installation of kitchens, hold seminars, or facilitate micro-enterprise projects. (For a detailed project description click here).

Centro de Salud Cerro Verde: is a health care center that serves 30,000 people in the southern zone of Cochabamba. Free healthcare is provided to pregnant women and children under five. Volunteers can work on Tuberculosis, Chagas, or Vaccination campaigns. (For a detailed project description click here).

Centro de Salud España: is a health center concentrates primarily on health promotion and disease prevention and mainly operates as an external consultation. It aims at serving marginalized communities and providing medication for children under five and pregnant women. The center also aims at combating malnutrition and works with the Ministry of Health. (For a detailed project description click here).

Centro de Salud Pacata: is a health center serving over 38,600 inhabitants in the northern zone of Cochabamba. Focusing on health promotion and disease prevention, The Center makes frequent trips to surrounding communities to hold educational seminars. Volunteers may shadow doctors or participate in community outreach programs. (For a detailed project description click here).

Energetica: seeks to improve the quality of life of rural and marginal urban populations by promoting development through the rational use of energy. Volunteers will make trips into surrounding municipalities to install solar panels and biomass kitchens. (For a detailed project description click here).

IDEI: is a civil research organization that focuses on issues of international relations, law, and politics.  Volunteers may conduct their own research project, contribute to IDEI publications, or assess the legal positions in different Cochabamba municipalities. (For a detailed project description click here).

INFANTE: serves as a safe house for victims of sexual and domestic violence. INFANTE has played a key role in the promotion of local and national policies to restore victims’ rights. INFANTE’s several programs offer a wide range of volunteer opportunities including, but not limited to assisting with violence prevention workshops, childcare, and raising community awareness. (For a detailed project description click here).

Insituto Boliviano de la Ceguera: aims to provide education and rehabilitation to those suffering from visual impairment. IBC also implements projects to create sources of employment for the visually impaired. Volunteers are welcome to join in the community outreach program and make visits to rural villages. (For a detailed project description click here).

La Colonia: is an environmentally conscious orphanage and daycare center where volunteers can help with extracurricular activities, childcare, and building projects. (For a detailed project description click here).

Mosoj Yan: provides rehabilitation and prevention programs to girls living and working on the streets. Opportunities include creating micro-enterprises, running workshops, fundraising, and providing educational assistance. (For a detailed project description click here).

PAAC: concentrates on environmental protection and education. Volunteers may participate in campaigning and lobbying, community outreach, or develop their own project. (For a detailed project description click here).

Performing Life: empowers youth through visual and performing arts. Juggling is popular within the organization, and handicrafts are made by children and sold abroad to maximize profits. The money is invested into micro-enterprise projects run by the children and their families. Volunteers may run juggling/ crafts workshops, aid in the micro-enterprise development, or provide educational assistance. (For a detailed project description click here).

Proinpa: promotes technological innovation to improve the competitiveness of Andean agriculture (in particular potato and quinoa), food safety and the conservation as well as sustainable use of genetic resources, to benefit local farmers and Bolivian society as a whole. (For a detailed project description click here).

Pro Mujer: Pro Mujer teaches women how to secure a steady income through microfinance, business training and healthcare support. By providing financial and human development services, Pro Mujer fights poverty and empowers women to become active members of society. Pro Mujer also provides health care support to women and their families, and links them to other services in the community. (For a detailed project description click here).

Puntiti: offers rehabilitation services and special education to children with disabilities. Experienced volunteers are offered a hands-on experience with the children, while inexperienced volunteers may run arts and crafts workshops. (For a detailed project description click here).

Taller Cultural Tinku: a socio-political organization that focuses on improving the lives of marginalized women and children. Tinku teaches practical skills, so as to facilitate job searches. Volunteers can help at the childcare center, participate in seminars about societal issues, or help women establish micro-enterprises. (For a detailed project description click here).

The ‘Maneul E Gandarillas’ Rehabilitation Center For The Blind: provides rehabilitation and integration services to individuals with visual disabilities who are seeking to live independently. Volunteers may run workshops, assist in therapy sessions, or partake in community outreach projects. (For a detailed project description click here).