We are a group of six women from Kenora, Ontario - a small town just outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba. We are going be traveling to Bolivia for two weeks this summer to help in a women's shelter and work with young children. In Bolivia women are not viewed as equals, they have a higher illiteracy rate than men as they have very limited access to education. Women have a lower income generating rate than men as they are predominantly viewed as purely mothers and homemakers, yet they have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. We feel strongly that even a small effort on our part can bring about big change. Due to the fact that we are a small group and we have a large distance to travel, every single donation will be much appreciated and very much needed. Every contribution will help us aid these women and children who are very much in need.
We have been able to fundraise about a third of our goal so far but are still $6000 away from being able to travel to this country. The majority of donations will be going towards airfare. However there are also several other expenses that need to be covered such as supplies, hotels, project donation, meals, and departure taxes. If we are unable to reach our total goal all raised
funds will be divided amongst the six members and put towards airfare, the rest of the fees will be taken at personal cost - something that we are willing to do because we believe so strongly in the cause, however this would put many of us in a very uncomfortable position financially as many of us are young students or fresh out of grad school.
For many of us this is our first mission trip. We are very excited to do our part and make a difference. We just need your help to do so. We are especially excited to do this as we are a very close nit group, coming from a small town half of us are related!
Due to the fact that women have low social status in Bolivia, being a group of just women, it is a bit risky for us to go. We face to stand discrimination and opposition from local townspeople. The communities we will be traveling to also have strong Mennonite backgrounds, a religion known to be opposed to outsiders and their aid. We have done the research and spoken to others who have traveled to Bolivia and worked with the locals before. We plan to go in and follow local customs and be as respectable as possible. We do not want to force our beliefs or ways of life on others, we simply want to help in any way we can.
Even if you yourself cannot donate, please help us by simply spreading the word! Being a small community we need to reach out to others if we hope to reach our goal. We are aware that it is a hefty one, but as we reach out to help others we have faith that others will reach out to do the same for us. Share this page on any and all social networks you have access to, remember that Indiegogo itself has sharing tools. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.