Youth Ambassadors Travel to the United States

The Youth Ambassador's Program, sponsored by the Public Affairs Section, will expose ten Bolivian students to U.S. culture and society through visits to cultural sites and government offices in Washington, DC, home stays with American families in one of three states (Utah, Arkansas or North Carolina), and opportunities to participate in school and community activities.  As the name implies, these students will be “ambassadors” of Bolivia and the goal is to promote greater mutual understanding between our two countries while giving these students an educational and cultural experience that will enhance and broaden their understanding of the U.S. and the world.  The program will be held in from April 13 to April 28, 2008. 
The students are all from low income families and come from all over the country, some are current recipients of John F. Kennedy English-language scholarships at the CBAs.  All have excelled academically and have demonstrated leadership ability in their communities or schools.

Teacher program at Colegio Luis Espinal in El Alto

In March 2008, U.S. Embassy La Paz started the second year of its guest teacher program at Colegio Luis Espinal in El Alto.  Every Wednesday afternoon, Embassy employees and family members instruct students from fifth grade to high school in English, algebra, basic math, and studio arts.   This program has been a great opportunity for Embassy employees reach out in a meaningful way to the local community.

U.S. Government Makes Significant Donation to PROSALUD

The U.S. Government delivered today a donation of 195 computers to PROSALUD for the implementation of a new administrative and medical computer-based record system.

The donated computers, estimated at an overall cost of $367,000, will be used to support the organization’s effort to develop, grow, and provide better healthcare services. The new system will promote higher effectiveness in PROSALUD. (more...)

The U.S. Government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID), delivered 65 school desks

The U.S. Government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID), delivered 65 school desks to representatives of the civic committee of the town of Batallas. This donation will benefit five rural schools operating in the area.

U.S. Embassy Grants Scholarships to Three Teen Soccer Players in Yungas

As it has been doing for four years now, the Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) of the U.S. Embassy has granted scholarships to another three young soccer players of the Yungas region, so that they can attend the prestigious Tahuichi soccer academy in the city of Santa Cruz.

This year, the awarded teens are: Luis Felipe Valdes (12), from Chulumani; Abel Pinedo (14) from Coripata; and Mario Chávez (12) from Arapata. This year’s grantees were chosen for their performance at a soccer championship played in the Yungas town of Coripata, which was organized by the Bolivian Police Rural Patrolling Unit (UMOPAR), with support provided by the NAS.(more...)

U.S. Embassy Donates 18 Vehicles Valued at $450,000 to Bolivian Counternarcotics Programs

Expressing a firm commitment to continuing assistance to Bolivia, the U.S. Embassy, through its Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS), delivered today 18 pick-up trucks valued at $450,000 in support of Bolivia’s counter narcotics program. Ambassador Philip Goldberg reiterated that this donation is a sign that U.S. support to Bolivia remains unchanged.(more...)

Business Competitiveness for Producers in the Yungas Region of La Paz

The Montaño Family

Alejandra Ramos is over 70 years of age and has lived with her family for over half a century in the Yungas region, in the department of La Paz, the largest coca-producing region in Bolivia. During several decades she and husband Cervando cultivated coca to sustain their ten children. At the beginning of the ‘80s, with the cooperation of the United Nations’ Agro-Yungas project, they started to diversify their production by cultivating coffee, as coca demanded a lot of labor and it did not provide enough income to sustain the family. For several years, the family’s income proved insufficient to leave coca cultivation. (more...)

Integration: Engaging a New Vision

The Centro Boliviano Americano Santa Cruz and the United States Embassy are pleased to invite English teachers, librarians and the general public to the 10th ABLA Convention, taking place this year from July 14th – 17th, in Santa Cruz Bolivia.  The Association of Bi-National Centers of Latin America (ABLA) is an international organization that fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people in Latin America and the Caribbean, through English teaching, educational and cultural programs.  The 10th Convention will promote the discussion of a new common Latin American vision for Bi-National Centers, seeking to take advantage of inter-institutional synergies, knowledge, capabilities and strengths in a global world. Thus, the Convention has been titled “Integration: Engaging a New Vision”. For more information visit the interactive ABLA 2008 Web Page: http://www.abla2008.com/

Judicial process service center inaugurated in Cochabamba On March 18 U.S.

Ambassador Philip Goldberg, along with USAID/Bolivia Office of Democratic Development Deputy Director Jessica Zaman and Program Manager Álvaro Gálvez, participated in the inauguration of the Cochabamba Judicial Process Service Center for the Judicial Council and Cochabamba District Court.  The Center will centralize judicial communications with attorneys and the community at large, helping to make the provision of justice services to Bolivian citizens more accessible, efficient and transparent.  Among other things, this Center will virtually eliminate the possibility of corruption when serving notice, which until now has been a serious problem.  USG contribution toward the Center, which will handle a criminal caseload of some 114,000 judicial communications per year, is $33,500.

GRANTEES OF THE U.S. INSTITUTE FOR LATIN AMERICAN INDIGENOUS STUDENT LEADERS RETURN TO BOLIVIA

Ten Bolivian university students of indigenous background have recently returned from the United States, after participating in a program organized by the US Embassy in La Paz, and the Study of the U.S. Branch, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The "U.S. Institute for Latin American Indigenous Student Leaders” which took place between January 26 and March 1 of 2008, primarily at University of Arizona and Amherst College in Massachusetts. The program is designed to provide a group of 10 highly motivated indigenous student leaders from across Bolivia with a five-week academic seminar and educational travel program that will give them a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values and institutions, while at the same time enhancing their leadership potential and collective problem-solving skills through training exercises and workshops.

• Films on trafficking in persons at Cinemateca

• USAID provides earthquake monitoring equipment to San Calixto Observatory

• U.S. Government makes important donation to PROSALUD

• U.S. Government delivers new relief assistance in Trinidad for flood victims

• Supreme Court and USAID dedicate new information system in Sucre to modernize justice

• United States Embassy donates equipment to Special Victims Unit