Bolivia

Context at a glance

A mother puts her baby to bed in their new Habitat house

Bolivia has a population of 8 million people. Of the total population, 58 percent of Bolivian families live in huts that do not meet the minimum living conditions, lacking basic services and sanitation. 32 percent of homes accommodate three or more people per bedroom. Approximately 52 percent of Bolivian homes are built with adobe (clay and straw) and 69 percent of houses have dirt floors.

These homes are ideal breeding places for unwanted pests. For example, the vinchuca, which transmits the "Chagas" disease – an incurable neurological disease that eventually kills. This insect cannot live in environments made from brick and cement, which are the materials used in the houses built by Habitat for Humanity Bolivia.

Habitat for Humanity programme

Habitat for Humanity Bolivia was established in 1985, in the La Paz region, with the aim of eradicating substandard housing in Bolivia, by building decent, simple and affordable homes.

HFH Bolivia works in Alto Beni, El Alto, Oruro, Tarija, Cochabamba, Chimoré, Santa Cruz, Ichilo and San Julián, where it annually builds over 600 houses.

The "progressive house" model is an important project for particularly low-income families. As its name suggests, the progressive house is built in stages. Rooms are added over time according to the family's needs and ability to pay.

HFH Bolivia houses measure 54 m² and 60 m², and have three bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living-dining room. They are built from bricks, cement and steel rods and have electricity and sanitation.

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