News and Activities

This video of from two patients that we financially supported so that they could receive prosthetic arms. They are very very happy now. Juan Ortiz, Nancy Green, Jonny Zients. Thank you to Creotec for being the organization in Bolivia that designed and produced these 3D printed prosthetic devices for these grateful patients. ... See more

Cecilia Moyoviri Moye is the first female indigenous woman Senator in Bolivia's Legislative Assembly, department of Beni. Contrary to popular belief, after the November 2020 elections, women make up 49% of the Legislative Assembly of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and the country is a forerunner on gender parity in the political sphere. Despite the progress, it is still difficult for women to stand their ground in politics, and Cecilia's indigenous background is an added challenge. Yet Cecilia has come a long way, battling struggles and representing the indigenous lands and peoples, often overlooked in mainstream political discussions. As a senator, Cecilia states that she will focus on defending the rights of indigenous women and protecting the territory land she represents, serving as the President of the Committee on Land and Territory, Natural Resources and Environment of the Senate. In Bolivia, violence against women is considered to be one of the greatest barriers to women effectively assessing politics, and UN Women is providing technical and financial asssitance to establishing legal infrastrructure barring violence against women. Quoting indigenous women leader Toribia Lero Quispe, let us also "generate spaces for dialogue allowing us to reflect on and question acts of violence" against not only women, but any marginalised community.
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/3/what-leadership-looks-like-cecilia-moyoviri-moye ... See more

Flashback to September 2020, in La Paz, Bolivia, where disabled protestors marched to the vicinities of the Justice Ministry facilities and conducted a sit-in to protest for financial aid from the government resulting from the still ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In total, around 20 people supported by disability organisations demanded for a one-off voucher of 144USD to support the cost of housing rent and medication, vital needs to be fulfilled. The government has already offered one off vouchers of 36USD to the severely handicapped, and other forms of financial aid to pregnant women, disabled people, and families supporting children in elementary and pre-school, but this is unfortunately not enough to sustain many basic needs. Let us be grateful for what we have and give what we can to support these people through BolivianswithoutDisability, even if it simply giving up some time to learn more about the predicament of these people.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/bolivia-disabled-people-demand-protest-for-financial-aid--20200922-0018.html ... See more

"MARCO" is a 23 young man located in La Paz. He is missing his left arm. He was injured at his workplace, where he recycled bottles. His arm had been accidentally sucked into a machine and severed before it could be stopped. In Bolivia, there are very few workplace safety standards nor guards on equipment. The company where he worked paid for the hospitalization and agreed to help him find a job. But, to date, he hasn't received further notice from the company nor any kind of financial support. Before receiving his prosthesis, he explained to us that it would give him more work opportunities. He also wishes to help his wife at home. They had a difficult time with his amputation, especially during COVID, which left them without resources. They need to take care of their two children. He received his prosthesis on January 9, 2021, and he is happy and optimistic about the future. ... See more

Tania is a 7-year-old girl from a small city in Bolivia. She lives with her younger brother and her grandmother. She lost her right arm in a traffic accident in January 2020 while traveling to her village. The bus overturned, and everyone has been injured. Her arm was found meters away. She was the only passenger seriously injured. The accident is still recent, and she has not yet fully assimilated the accident. She wanted her arm back, knowing that she would not be able to use it as she did before. The function of the prosthesis is, above all is psychological. Her family explained to us that she could no longer do anything alone and felt terrible. She was afraid and ashamed. The family struggled to deal with her. They were determined to help her get used to her new arm, to be herself again, to play, to go out with her friends. Our partner, Creo Bolivia, designed and built her prosthetic arm. They also fabricated an almost lifelike cosmetic cover. She and her family have been extremely grateful. They now have started a more significant journey toward recovering self-confidence. She received her prosthesis on September, 21 of 2020 ... See more

"GREAT NEWS! AmazonSmile customers can now support Bolivians Without Disabilities Inc in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.
Download the Amazon Shopping app from your phone's app store, and then open it on your device.
Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into 'Settings'
Tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. You can search for our charity by name, or by our tax ID number: 47-3203248.
If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, update your app. Click here for instructions."
For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.mShop.android.shopping ... See more

Like many other countries in the world, Bolivia has instilled a countrywide face-mask requirement to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Indigenous women in Bolivia have used this to their advantage, producing masks made from the wool of llamas and sheep in the Bolivian Andes. Not only has this helped them economically, but also drawn attention to their culture and heritage. With many women retaining skills of embroidery to transform masks into handmade work of art, original designs and unique masks are produced, very popular among local Bolivians. in fact, 17000 masks have been sold in a week, helping shine light on the women's work and their cultures.

https://www.dw.com/en/face-masks-as-opportunity-for-bolivias-indigenous-women/av-53856640 ... See more

"Wheelchairs are in high demand in Bolivia, but generally, only the most basic designs are available. This post is about advancements in wheelchair design that may someday be available in Bolivia.
Today we highlight Andrew Slorance, who has won the Toyota-run global Mobility Unlimited Challenge with his innovative wheelchair design. The technology, aptly named Phoenix 1, is equipped with smart sensors to, among other things, detect if the user is tipping forward or backward, automatically adjusting to prevent falling. As a wheelchair user himself, Mr. Slorance recounts his own struggle beginning over 37 years ago when he had to use a heavy chair. Since then, wheelchairs have become more compact, but the technology has not changed. This winning design is 3D printed with carbon fiber, so it is extremely lightweight and can be easily maneuvered. 3D printing allows the wheelchair to be molded to the user's body, becoming more personalized and comfortable, a great step in wheelchair innovation. The goal is for the product to be on the market within 2 years. "

https://www.bbc.com/news/disability-55315442 ... See more

As Valentine's day nears, let us share our love to communities that are less fortunate than we are. You can do this by participating in the Amazon "Smile" program, simply be selecting Bolivians Without disAbilities as your choice of charity before shopping. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to Bolivians without disAbilities, which we will then translate into real world impact.

Whenever you shop, just remember to access your account through Amazon smile, and you can bookmark our Smile page for easy access: smile.amazon.com/ch/47-3203248. Amazon will keep track of all your eligible purchases and make the appropriate donation to Bolivians Without disAbilities every quarter. How cool is that?

Note that “AmazonSmile” is THE authentic Amazon site (not a third-party site), so you are not divulging any information to outside sources. ... See more

Anything is possible- 21-year-old Chris Nikic from Florida has become the first triathlete with Down Syndrome to finish an Ironman event- swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and running for 26.2 miles in 16 hours 46 minutes. Down Syndrome is a genetic condition causing varying degrees of learning disability and slower physical development. And Chris Nikic is the first person with the condition to attempt, let alone complete, an Ironman event. After his father encourages him to become 1% fitter every day, Chris began training for the event starting from a single push up. Chris has not only set a new sporting record- his victory also represents a step closer to the goal of living a life or normalcy and greater inclusion for many others like him. Chris has his sights set on participating in the 2022 Special Olympics. Chris has challenged perceptions of people with mental disabilities, and become an empowering beacon for others in similar positions.

bbc.com/sport/triathlon/54869998 ... See more