Things are moving and shaking in Bolivia! Things are moving and shaking in Bolivia! The PROMAVI team wasted no time rallying the authorities in the Chuquisaca region to counter the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic. A municipal contingency plan was swiftly put in place in collaboration with municipalities and their emergency committees.
The initiative sought to ensure access to decent health care for more than 5,000 families and to limit their geographic, social and economic exclusion. The three-pronged contingency plan was launched on April 1 and will be implemented up through at least August 31.
“In the PROMAVI spirit, we have decided to respond to this pandemic proactively by getting organizing, working as a team and embracing a multi-sectoral approach; we are convinced that executing this plan will help protect and save many lives.”
-RUBEN ESCAMILLA, project director and SOCODEVI representative in Bolivia
The three pillars of the PROMAVI plan are health, food security, and communications. The capacities of professionals in the health network have been strengthened and a viable protocol has been devised to prevent contagion and properly manage, care for, and closely follow up with infected individuals.
On the nutrition front, given the pre-existing low availability of agricultural and food supplies in the region, the initiative is promoting the urgent creation of home gardens to mitigate the effects of the reduced food supply and restricted movements. This fast solution is sure to have positive long-term impacts on the nutrition of populations.
In terms of communication, the plan focuses on raising awareness and spreading information in order to strengthen bonds of trust between the authorities and the population. The key messages revolve around COVID-19, the creation of home gardens, and the prevention of domestic violence. Every day, inhabitants can also tune in to a radio program to stay up-to-date on various actions carried out with the municipalities.
“At the start of the pandemic, I was not worried, but supplies began to run out. I can no longer go to work and bills overwhelm me. However, PROMAVI helps me a lot. They also encourage me to help my loved ones, as well as other families from SOCODEVI Field Schools and the entire community. “
-NATIVIDAD PADILLA, woman leader from the Yaconal community
PROMAVI is an initiative led by SOCODEVI and the Centre for International Cooperation in Health and Development (CCISD) in Bolivia, with financial support from the Government of Canada.