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The town of Reyes (Bolivia), the Bolivian Red Cross, the Spanish
Red Cross, and the European Commission’s Humanitarian
Office (ECHO) – this variety of entities has a common
goal, namely to rehabilitate the living conditions of those
affected by floods in Reyes and surrounding communities.
The six month project not only provides 61 water pumps to selected
communities, but ensures improvement in the quality of community
life through a variety of workshops. The basic first aid training,
education in community health and prevention and preparedness
for disasters provides skills which will outlive the project
itself.
More volunteers every week
The local project coordinator, Mauricio Rojas, is a 25 year
old volunteer of the Bolivian Red Cross in La Paz. Rojas has
been a youth volunteer for nine years and is currently working
with the Reyes’ Provincial Red Cross office to carry out
the project.
When established in 2002, the Reyes Provincial Red Cross consisted
of a small group of volunteers meeting at each others houses.
Over the past four years, the branch has experienced considerable
growth, and now has an office, a full-time secretary and more
than 30 active volunteers of all ages.
The volunteer base continues to grow at every weekly meeting,
and the youth make up a substantial part of the growth. The
young population of Reyes and its surrounding villages is very
active and eager to join the Red Cross. They eagerly attend
community workshops, and offer their assistance on ad hoc basis
when needed. When more than 1300 buckets of Red Cross material
needed to be put together, non-volunteers impulsively stopped
by to help, lending eager hands to apply project stickers to
the containers.
Systematic youth involvement
The major youth event so far this year took place 18 August.
A big fair on the main square of Reyes featured presentations
of Red Cross activities and student projects from five schools
on the theme of “water and cleanliness”. A jury
evaluated the projects. In the jury was the President of the
Reyes Provincial Red Cross, the mayor of Reyes, a representative
of the district educational office and an engineer from Sumaj
Huasi, the company charged with building the water pumps included
in the project. Each school received a first aid kit, a set
of splints, two blankets, a stretcher and a cleaning kit with
a broom, a mop, a sponge mop and a dust pan.
Certificates were awarded based on the evaluations of the jury.
The fair was a great example of the power of the Red Cross to
encourage youth involvement and of working with the community
and its members. The visitors to the fair left with an increased
awareness on how to lead safer, healthier lives.
To involve young people in a more systematic way, two weeks
this year have been dedicated to workshops in seven schools
in the area. The students were trained in basic first aid, education
in community health and prevention and preparedness for disasters,
and also received information about the Red Cross.
A final report of the Reyes project is available. If you are
interested in reading more about this project and its outcomes,
please contact us!
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Reyes, Bolivia, the provincial Red Cross works with the
town, as well as with Spanish Red Cross and ECHO, to improve
living conditions.
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Getting support from neighbours. La Paz Red Cross volunteers
went to Reyes to give a hand with the project, and to
train and work with the local volunteers
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provincial Red Cross has developed from a small group
of volunteers meeting in their homes, to having an office,
a secretary, and over 50 volunteers during the past four
years. |
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age of the volunteers span from 3 to 60!
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