Care Volunteer Projects in Bolivia

• Placement locations: Cochabamba
• Types of care projects: Centres for children/adults with special needs, day care centres, orphanages, rehabilitation centres, centres for street children, homes for the elderly
• Age of children: 0 - 21
• Number of people cared for:
  15 - 80
• Role: Assisting with local staff including playing with children, basic teaching and giving general help
• Accommodation: Host families
• Price: From
• What’s included? Food, accommodation, transfers, insurance, personal webpage, induction and orientation, 24/7 support
• What’s not included? Flights, visa costs, spending money
• Length of placement: From two weeks
• Start dates: Flexible

You can gain work experience on a volunteer Care project in Bolivia whatever your age, abilities or level of experience; whether you are on a gap year - or even a 'gap month' - from further education, or are coming to us during a holiday from work, a career break, or during your retirement. All we ask is that you have enthusiasm and commitment towards whichever project you work on.

Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. Orphanages and other similar establishments lack the funds required to provide more than a basic level of care, which is why Projects Abroad volunteers have such an important role to play.

Voluntary Community Development and Orphanage work with Projects Abroad

Projects Abroad volunteers work in several orphanages and day care centres in Bolivia, all in the Cochabamba area. Some projects work with street children or children who are HIV positive, other placements work with children who have mental and physical disabilities. We also have care projects working with a range of ages, from babies and toddlers to elderly people in care homes. Please let us know of any preferences you may have so we can match you to a suitable placement.

We also have a community football and social care project in Bolivia which combines coaching football with a variety of care work.

The Projects Abroad team in Bolivia organise regular workshops for care volunteers. The workshops will provide you with a valuable insight into the care system in Bolivia and the background of the placement where you’re working. You will also receive advice and suggestions regarding activities to carry out at your care placement.

Volunteers often work in pairs at a care placement which means you can share ideas and perhaps take some of the children out on a trip. Our staff in Bolivia can assist you with any materials you may need, and a member of staff at your placement will act as your general supervisor and be available for help and advice.

Volunteering abroad on a Care Project in Bolivia

In whichever volunteer care project in Bolivia you find yourself, you need to be ready for a challenge. Many of the children are desperate for attention and on some placements there are children who have psychological or physical health problems and who need a great deal of special attention.

Your main areas of work will vary depending on the age of the children and the centre you are working in. You may be feeding, bathing and generally looking after babies and toddlers, or you may be helping with homework, music, art and sports - really anything you are interested in. On many placements, especially with the street children, you'll also need to teach life skills like the importance of hygiene, self-discipline and good communication.

Some children don't go to school so basic literacy lessons - in Spanish - are also welcomed. Let us know beforehand if you can help in this area.

At some of the orphanages and care homes there is also a need for help with building and fixing up garden areas, buildings and playgrounds. Volunteers have been getting together regularly to work on such community projects, painting walls in the orphanages, creating a garden or helping with clearing up and rebuilding.

You can join a Care project in Bolivia for two weeks if you don't have time to join us for a month or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work intensely within the local community please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period. Volunteers joining the project for just two weeks will be placed in one of our partner orphanages.

If you have qualifications or experience in this field then we can make use of your skills. Read more about the opportunities for skilled volunteers in Bolivia.