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Inspired to Give Back
We are motivated by God's great and sacrificial love (John 3:16). God's love for us inspires us to do good and to share the Good News.

How We Do It
Viva Bolivia provides leadership for today and hope for tomorrow! We do this by multiplying the efforts of existing organizations and by empowering up-and-coming local leaders. We use targeted, locally-distributed grants and hands-on mentoring to remove barriers and to raise the standards of operation. We help individuals and organizations approach the future proactively so that together we can develop local leaders and encourage positive development in Bolivia!

Our grants are strategic, targeted and relatively small (on average, less than $200 per grant). We take a long-term view of development and so we tend to focus on fewer people/organizations and make repeated grants to those who are showing potential and progress. Our office in Bolivia (www.vivaboliviaps.com) is now owned by a former grant recipient.

We give grants to individuals and support the efforts of other organizations. We help to develop local leadership and work to build sustainable, and where possible, reproducing projects. Some examples of projects we have supported include: children's homes, medical clinics, lending programs, schools, churches, youth ministries and small businesses.

Our grants often have two components and three beneficiaries: The primary component is lifting up a local leader through education or by helping them with a project that they are doing. The secondary component is the specific good that the leader is doing. An example of this two-pronged, three-beneficiary approach is our Christmas giving. We give funds to buy gifts and food that are delivered in a responsible manner by local leaders who are already inspired to help and are taking the lead to make this a reality. In this way, those in need are encouraged, our leader is developed and local merchants are supported by the local purchases our grants make possible.

Why We Do It This Way
We believe in sustainable efforts that multiply themselves. These lofty goals can only be met with strong local leadership. We believe that "how we do our work" is more important than "what we do," and that the quality of our witness is tied to the quality of our work. Our understanding of God is that he doesn't need us, yet delights in using us for his Kingdom's sake.

We believe that "teaching people to fish" values the person and builds internal ownership for the projects we support. Ownership and passion are values that are difficult to teach. By removing barriers through small targeted grants and helping those who are already inspired to do good, we encourage this spark of inspiration and help to fan it into a flame of sustainable, tangible good. We respect and lift up our grant recipients and we recognize the fact that our efforts would not endure without them.