Location: Cochabamba & Tiquipaya Setting: Urban/Rural Established: 1968 Staff: 10

 

Subject Areas

Microfinance: Agribusiness, Marketing

Community Development: Community Empowerment, Building Social Capital

Health: Public Health, Nutrition

Youth and Education: Social Leadership, Complimentary Learning, Child and Adolescent Development

Environment: Environmental Education, Organic/Sustainable Agriculture, Alternative Energy

Human Rights: Social Justice, Child Advocacy

 

Organization Objectives

Aldeas Infantiles SOS is an international organization that provides familial support to children and youth without a family, while teaching them skills to be able to support themselves and be successful in their lives. Its goals are to:

• Foster a healthy familial environment for children to grow up in, with a surrogate mother, siblings, and the warmth and security of a home
• Create a community environment where children can share their culture and make new friends
• Provide high-quality education on agricultural production and food processing for youth
• Contribute actively to the development of local communities through the provision of health services, childcare, and educational opportunities

 

Program Information

 

1. Children and Youth Villages Tiquipaya

In Tiquipaya, Aldeas Infantiles has ten family houses that provide homes for approximately 90 children. Each house constitutes its own unique, self-run family with a “mother” and “siblings.” There is also a house for the village director and for the village “aunts” (house mothers in-training who assist current house mothers). Together, these homes form a village community. In Tiquipaya there are also two Youth Homes, which are made up of shared apartments where a total of 23 adolescents live during their academic and professional education, gradually preparing themselves to live independently. Facilities include an administrative building, a multifunctional space for celebrations and other activities, a workshop, a children’s park, and a sports field.

 

Opportunities

• Organize activities and celebrations for the children
• Plan projects to improve the village infrastructure
• Assist with the general running and maintenance of the village
• Develop and facilitate educational workshops for the children
• Provide one-on-one educational support for adolescents

 

Requirements

• Intermediate Spanish
• Experience working with children
• Energetic and creative

 

2. Tiquipaya Formation and Production Center

Tiquipaya’s Formation and Production Center is located near the Tiquipaya children’s village. The Center was developed on an already-existing 120-acre farm by constructing new stables, workshops, classrooms, and boarding facilities on site. Tiquipaya’s formation programs commenced shortly afterward, and were officially inaugurated in 1992.

 

The Center includes a farm, an organic greenhouse, a milk and meat processing plant, and an alternative energy program. Aldeas Infantil devotes 80% of its trainings to experiential learning and 20% to classroom education. The training program encompasses the following areas: dairy industry management, bird and pig husbandry, horticulture, fresh and dry feed production and management, agricultural mechanics, and food processing. Business courses include oral and written expression, management strategies, and public administration. The 2-year curriculum, recognized by the government, grants students the title of Agricultural Technician.

 

The Formation Center also offers continuing education courses to adults and maintains a database on agrarian organizations in Bolivia. The Center has received recognition and numerous prizes for the quality of its programs. In addition, the majority of the youth who complete the program move on to very good jobs.

 

Opportunities

• Assist in the management and operation of the farm, greenhouse, and alternative energy system
• Assist with the general running and administration of the Center
• Teach business and agricultural courses, as well as adult continuing education courses
• Plan projects to improve the infrastructure of the facilities
• Identify new activities that could be developed in collaboration with the youth
• Help market the goods produced by the Center
• Create informational materials on the Center’s activities
• Research ways to improve the quality of the goods produced by the Center
• Help review reports and translate them into English

 

Requirements

• Intermediate Spanish
• Knowledge of agriculture, alternative energy, or other related technical skills
• Interest in teaching
• Ability to adapt to difficult working conditions and a high-pressure environment

 

3. Social Center Tiquipaya

The Tiquipaya Social Center opened in 1988 to offer medical attention to the community, especially for low-income families. Health services include pediatrics, dental consultations, first aid, and a small pharmacy. The Social Center also offers daycare for up to 160 children.

 

Opportunities

• Provide care to children in the daycare center
• Assist doctors and nurses with health consultations
• Assist low-income families in navigating the health services available
• Develop low-literacy friendly print materials on public health topics for the Social Center’s patients

 

Requirements

• Intermediate Spanish
• Experience working with children
• Knowledge of health services and health care

 

4. Jordán Children and Youth Villages

Aldea Infantil SOS Jordán is located in the center of Cochabamba and consists of ten family houses for up to 100 children and Youth Homes for up to 95 adolescents, structurally similar to Aldea Infantil SOS Tiquipaya. The Jordán location also offers daycare to approximately 195 children from the Aldea and the surrounding neighborhood. A Professional Formation Center offers classes in food processing to 30 students through a bakery and coffee shop, a classroom, and a library. Finally, the Center has stores where it markets the goods produced in its workshops, including alpaca clothing, dolls, and products from the Tiquipaya Production Center.

 

Opportunities

• Assist with the general running and maintenance of the village, including the library and other village facilities
• Organize activities and celebrations for the village’s children
• Plan projects to improve the infrastructure of the village
• Teach classes on food preparation in the Professional Formation Center
• Care for children in the village’s daycare center
• Provide assistance in the classroom and in tutoring
• Improve the marketing of the Center’s products
• Help manage the Center’s cafe
• Provide consulting services for the Center’s various projects on best practices

 

Requirements

• Intermediate Spanish
• Experience working with children
• Ability to take initiative

 

Program Supervisor (All Programs)

Alberto Melgar is an agronomist with many years of experience working with Aldea Infantil. He is the director of the Formation and Production Center and has extensive knowledge of organic production and marketing.

 

Note: Responsibilities offered to each participant will be proportionate to their level of experience. Participants who are new to development work may predominantly support and assist current project agendas, while those with much applicable experience may be able to assume greater responsibility. Research projects are strongly encouraged by this organization to support each program’s objective because minimal resources are currently allocated for research.

 

Working Conditions

Aldeas Infantiles SOS has two locations in Cochabamba—one centrally located in downtown Cochabamba, and the other located in a peripheral area of Tiquipaya, a densely-populated rural city about 20 minutes from Cochabamba. Both centers are modern and well-equipped. The majority of opportunities are at the Tiquipaya location.

 

Organizational Background

The first Aldea Infantil SOS was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in 1949 in Imst, Austria. His goal was to help children who had lost their home, security, and family as a result of the Second World War. Throughout the years, the organization has grown to help the neediest children all over the world.

 

The first Aldea Infantil SOS in Bolivia was constructed in Cochabamba in 1968. When this establishment reached its capacity in 1995, the organization constructed an additional center on 30 acres in Tiquipaya.

 

About Aldeas Infantiles SOS’s Clients

Aldeas Infantiles SOS dedicates the majority of its work to children who are abandoned, orphaned, or in disadvantaged families. The organization is also dedicated to strengthening families and the community in general. Tiquipaya’s Production and Social Centers, for example, do not only offer training and health services for the youth who live in the Aldea, but also to individuals from the surrounding community. The organization works in 132 countries and territories, with 1,799 institutions and programs.