"On October 12th 1998 I received a formal invitation from Mr Jorge Valencia, the representative of UNICEF Bolivia to collaborate with the charity to help raise funds and awareness of projects in their region.
My specific collaboration was divided between two specific projects:
1) Health and nutrition of the women and children.
2) Protection and participation of the children and the mother.
My visit was programmed for 5 days in March 1999. I felt a great sense of responsibility towards this mission as it has always been my desire to be functional within the field environment. It was essential to raise awareness of the plight of under-privileged children in general.
I studied diplomacy at University and was able to put the benefits from my studies into practise,enabling me to gain a deeper understanding and embrace the essential requirements of the territory that needed to be highlighted.
Bolivia has the highest mother/infant mortality in Latin-America. This alarming fact has become my motivation to be involved in creating increased global awareness.
As a goodwill volunteer an avenue of generating funds for Bolivia was by way of organizing two fashion shows in La Paz and Santa Cruz using a Bolivian designer, namely "Alpaca Fashions" by Beatrice Patiño introducing this magnificent designer to the world stage though media coverage.
International coverage through CNN, Reuters and AgenceFrance Press enabled us to gain foreign aid to help with the main problem of providing vaccinations for infants, clean water facilities and the possibility of an education for the millions of children who wander the streets and who have somehow learned to survive without shelter and the start in life we take for granted.
The memory of this successful mission fills me with treasured moments that have changed lives, mine included. I would very much like to continue with this work."
Read letters by Jorge Jara Valancia, representative Unicef Bolivia (pdf format)
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MISSION IN BOLIVIA
