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Bolivia and Andean Countries

Handicap International’s work in Bolivia aims to improve the inclusion of people with disabilities within society, help them access rehabilitation care, and ensure the most vulnerable people are prepared for the risk of natural disasters.

International Day of people with disabilities, music and dance festival

Actions in process

Handicap International works in Bolivia to help people with disabilities get decent jobs and improve their inclusion in society. In the municipality of El Algo, to the west of the country, it runs training sessions for professional inclusion staff on both organisational and technical aspects.

The organisation has also set up seven rehabilitation centres in the departments of Potosi and Oruro and is helping to train staff in the centres, to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the services they need.

Bolivia, like other South American countries, is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. The country is highly exposed to earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions. Handicap International supports local stakeholders (local authorities, civil protection) to ensure that they take the most vulnerable into account in earthquake preparedness plans.

The Andean Countries programme currently only operates in Bolivia, where Handicap International has been working since 2011, but the organisation now wants to develop projects in Equador, Peru, and Paraguay.

Situation of the country

Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, and people with disabilities are not sufficiently included in society.

Since 2005, the year Evo Morales was first elected President, Bolivian society and institutions have undergone a process of fundamental change. That election marked a decisive turning point in terms of the recognition and inclusion of the country’s 36 ethnic groups and indigenous cultures. Social and economic reforms were also initiated. Nevertheless, while Bolivia is a country with strong economic growth, inequality persists and people with disabilities remain marginalised.