As some of you may know, Karin is a school teacher. At the end of last school year, Karin's school district awarded her a sabbatical for the 2011-12 school year. This opened the door for us to return to Bolivia for an extended time! We arrived in Bolivia in September and will be staying here through the end of January. We are staying in Cochabamba, which is home to the offices of Viva Bolivia. While in Bolivia, we will both be volunteering with Viva Bolivia.
New Software for Viva Bolivia
One of our first priorities after arriving was to replace some of the aging software on the VB office computers. The out-of-date software was causing problems on a daily basis and was reducing the productivity of everyone in the office. Through generous donations by VB friends Alex and Heather, Microsoft and TechSoup (a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits access the technology resources and knowledge they need to operate at their full potential), we were able to install the new software on the office computers. This has made a noticeable difference in how the computers run, lowered the frustration level and increased the productivity of the VB office! Visit the VBPS SRL Web site!
or Visit the NEW VBPS site - Still in construction. Visit to Valle Hermoso Only days after arriving in Bolivia, we were treated to a celebratory lunch at Valle Hermoso Children’s Home. Some of you may remember that Valle Hermoso was one of Viva Bolivia’s first partner projects. We helped Valle Hermoso with strategic planning, organizational development and initial staffing. The children at VH treated us to a program of songs and jokes and we all enjoyed playing some icebreaker games together. We also enjoyed a lunch of Pique Macho (a traditional Cochabamba meal) and were surprised by a birthday cake that  celebrated the birthdays of several of the children, as well as Karin’s birthday! Margarita, the VH Administrator, gave us some updates about the children’s home. Aija (former VH Administrator and now a fundraiser in Norway) and Ingvild (also a fund and friend raiser in Norway) also shared with us. 
How wonderful to see the fruit of years of labor by so many result in happy, well-adjusted children who have been raised to know the love of God. VH is now planning on building a second home for college-age students to aid them as they transition to independent living. We look forward to watching VH grow! Leadership for Today, Hope for Tomorrow! |