Bolivia

Peace Corps' Bolivia post was temporarily suspended in September 2008 and will remain suspended until further notice.

Located in central South America, Bolivia is one of the largest Andean countries with a land area roughly the size of Texas and California combined (approximately 1,098,580 square kilometers). La Paz, with an elevation of 12,000 feet, is the national capital and home to the executive and legislative branches of the government. The Supreme Court operates out of the constitutional or judicial capital of Sucre. The Peace Corps' main office is in the city of Cochabamba.

The Peace Corps initially entered Bolivia in 1962 with a group of health Volunteers. The program continued to grow over the next nine years, with Volunteers working in public health, agriculture, and community development in rural communities and in education in both urban and rural areas.

In 1970, a number of economic, political, and social circumstances strained the formely cordial relationship between Bolivia and the United States and in 1971 Peace Corps was asked to leave Bolivia.

The Peace Corps returned to Bolivia in 1990, following an almost 20-year absence. Volunteers now work with national agencies, municipal governments, schools, and non-governmental organizations on projects in agriculture, natural resource management and environmental education, youth development, micro-enterprise and small business development, and water and sanitation projects.

Last updated Apr 08 2009