Bolivia
Mission
Our goal at Familia Feliz is to provide a Christian-centered, safe, and loving home environment; education; and medical/dental care for children who are orphaned, abandoned, abused, neglected, unwanted, or impoverished.
Description
Familia Feliz is an orphanage that houses children of all ages (up to 18 years old or 12th grade). There are 6 houses that can each hold up to 10 kids. It is located in a jungle close to the tourist town of Rurrenabaque. In town there is a hotel where one can go swim at the pool, hammock, and get access to WiFi on their day off. The locals are very sweet people and it is a safe town. Student missionaries get their kids ready for the day, teach half the day, take care of their kids the other half, and help with chores like gardening, cooking, and cleaning.
Quick Info
| Average Fundraising Goal | $5,500 |
| Living Allowance | $100 per month |
| Requirements | 1+ years of college experience and a visa. Specific purpose visas last 6 months but must be applied for 2 months prior to arrival. |
| Language | Spanish |
| Timeline | Full year and semester options available. Student missionaries typically go end of July or beginning of August and come back beginning of June. The school year is from the beginning of February to the beginning of December. |
| Positions | Teacher/house parent |
Positions
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Teacher/House Parent
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Student missionaries will be responsible for lesson planning and teaching assigned classes. Outside of classes, SMs are house parents for the children in their home. This involves waking the kids up, getting them ready for school, disciplining them, cooking the meals, helping them with homework, putting them to bed, and anything else the kids need.
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More Info
Rurrenabaque, Bolivia
Volunteers are responsible for cooking for themselves and the kids in their house. The food is provided by the homes. All the food they cook is vegetarian and consists of rice, beans, eggs, vegetables, lentils, and some papayas, bananas, and apples. Other common and accessible foods are potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, milk, flour, sugar, citrus, pineapple, plantains, pacaya, etc.
Note: Previous volunteers recommend trying cheese empanadas in town!
Volunteers live in houses with the children as their house parents. They will have their own room separate from the children where they may share a room with one or two other staff members. There is a small kitchen area with a sink, stove, dishes, and other necessary appliances. There are no laundry facilities, so washing is done by hand.
It’s a good idea to bring a few of your own supplies for the classroom. Printing paper, dry erase markers, and other supplies are limited at the location. Familia Feliz does provide students with work books.
Stipend money is usually spent on going into town, classroom supplies, paying for data on a phone, and necessities like toilet paper. The stipend provided is more than enough per month.
You can buy good mosquito nets in town, so you don't need to bring one. If desired, you could bring a structured SansBug popup tent and then drape a mosquito net from town over it.
