Tom and Julie Dalechek

TomAndJulieD@project-helping-hands.org

Team will land at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz at an altitude of 1,370 feet above sea level and will depart immediately for the Andean foothill target area in southern Bolivia which will include the towns of Camiri, Villamontes, Entre Rios, and very remote villages off the main road where the team will be involved in holding clinics as well as health-promotional educational efforts.  We will be serving among the Guarani and other people groups.  (Guaraní are a group of culturally related indigenous peoples of South America, distinguished from the related Tupi by their use of the Guaraní language. The traditional range of the Guaraní people is in what is now Paraguay, between the Uruguay River and lower Paraguay River, the Corrientes and Entre Rios Provinces of Argentina, southern Brazil, and parts of Uruguay and Bolivia. Although their demographic dominance of the region has been reduced by European colonization and the commensurate rise of the mestizo, there are contemporary Guaraní populations in these areas. – Wikipedia) There will be a brief opportunity to sightsee and shop in Santa Cruz before returning to the US.

        Amount of in-country travel:  Extensive

      Sleeping arrangements:  Lodging will be different nearly every night.  Team members will sleep in sleeping bags on the floor or ground.

      Running water/electricity: Intermittent; team members may have lengthy stints without either.

      Physical requirements:  This trip may include moderate to strenuous physical activity including walking several miles on rough terrain and lifting heavy luggage.  Team members are encouraged to be in moderate physical shape as hardship and vicissitudes are likely to be encountered.

Applications for this team will be accepted until May 15, 2010.  Note that applying for a team does not guarantee acceptance.  All applicants will be notified of the status of their application no later than June 01, 2010.

**Price includes airfare from major US cities to Bolivia, ground transportation in Bolivia, food and lodging in Bolivia, all taxes as well as visa and government fees and a team t-shirt.  The price does not include immunizations, airline luggage fees, and costs incurred outside of Bolivia.