Gender violence causes more death and disability in Bolivia among women aged 15–44 than do cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, or war. Around 50 percent of woman from a variety of living circumstances throughout the country have admitted to being subject to physical abuse or intimidation in their lifetime. Data about violence against women is unclear due cultural restrictions; however, it is easy to see that an overwhelming percentage of women living in Bolivia today will directly or indirectly face sexual or physical abuse during their lives. ,/p>

To read about Women's Empowerment issues in Bolivia, click here.

FSD joins efforts with several grassroots organizations to counter these and other women's empowerment issues. Current programs and initiatives work to:

• Implement workshops and seminars that provide training to women in leadership, autonomy, literacy, sexual education, health, microenterprise development, and women's rights.
• Educate women who have suffered intra-familial violence with vocational skills and microenterprise management so that they may autonomously support their families.
• Provide legal counseling for victims of abuse and violence.
• Locate medical, psychological, social, legal, and educational help for victims of abuse and violence including children, adolescents, women, and families.
• Provide resources to a residential shelter for girls who have been forced out of their homes by situations of physical, psychological, or sexual abuse. The project encourages them to embark on a process of social reintegration. The shelter also works to sensitize local communities about the situation faced by marginalized young women.
• Offer business development trainings and microcredit programs for the creation and
  support of women micro-entrepreneurs.
• Research newly implemented health, education, and microenterprise capacity-building programs to assess their contribution to women's empowerment. Results are used to make programmatic adjustments.

Read more about Women's Empowerment programs and opportunities initiated by our Community Partners in Bolivia.

For a description of the Women's Empowerment opportunities available in each country, click on the links below:

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