This month’s update from Bolivia follows on the heels of a previous update, and is a textbook example of the follow through that villages learn when they partner with CHOICE. In the community of Jankocala, maintaining a continual water supply has been a boon to commerce and well-being for generations. Victims of their geography for centuries, the people of Jankocala are victims no more. Using the empowering approach of CHOICE, the villagers created a plan for action, and now, are executing it. To date, they’ve raised over 30,000 Boliviano ($4400 USD) to fund the project, exceeding their original goal and allowing for the creation of an even more extensive water system.

The building of the water system is well underway, and our In-Country Manager Willy Mendoza cannot speak highly enough of the work this community is doing, “This project was prioritized by all the community, including women, elderly, and young, which ensures that it will be maintained and the water supply will be sustainable [long after the project is completed].” These villagers have solved a problem that they, and generations of other Bolivians, had thought unsolvable. The water system in Jankocala stands as a testament to the CHOICE approach: when villages are empowered, nothing can stop their progress, not even Mother Nature.

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