Newsletter May 2026
The situation in Bolivia has been worrying for some time and is escalating further due to a major economic crisis and various protests against the government and the current president. Many demonstrations by several social sectors have produced few solutions For over two weeks now, nothing could enter or leave the city of La Paz due to numerous roadblocks by aggressive demonstrators. Absolutely no consideration is given to anyone or anything; for example, ambulances are often unable to get through the blockades. The supply for instance of food, fuel, and oxygen to hospitals has largely stopped. The daily demonstrations are now accompanied by violence, aggression, and vandalism.
For us, this means that the menus have been adjusted because meat and vegetables are in very low supply and unobtainable. It is very difficult for the teams to reach us; at the Adulam boys' home, there are now shifts of 2 x 48 hours because one of the rehabilitation staff has to walk for hours to get past all the blockades. Some others are unable to make it at all, but the entire team is doing its utmost to be there. You understand that the teams are also anxious about their families and, in general, about how this will turn out. Part of our work simply cannot be done because it is not possible for parents to come to us. And no, going to the bank to withdraw money is not possible either; even if one could get there on foot, it would be too dangerous. We have a pregnant teenager in Talita Cumi; she has another month to go. We hope and pray that the baby does not arrive early, because getting to the maternity clinic would not be possible.
After this difficult story, here is the urgent appeal: would you please pray for us?! For protection for the teams, our homes, and everyone's families. For wisdom for the government to intervene and reach lasting agreements. For the peace of God over the land, and for His intervention to put a stop to all aggression. It seems as if many people suddenly have no conscience anymore; only the Lord can do something about that.
Pictures: first at top: tension in La Paz. Below: top left: the honour row of pictures with girls who reached their goals this month. Top right: the speech and language therapist works with a child in Jesed. Bottom left: boys in Adulam are repairing the chairs. Bottom right: celebration of Felina and Jaime´s birthdays in Talita Cumi.
I would like to let Axel speak, a Dutch visitor who came to us last week: On Tuesday, May 12, I visited a special foundation in La Paz. I was warmly welcomed by Felina, the director of the organization - coincidentally, it was also her birthday. Together we visited the three locations of the foundation.
We started at the two residential houses for young people between the ages of 13 and 18: one for young men and one for young women. A total of twelve young people each live here who are struggling with various forms of addiction. The houses are closed; For the first three months, the young people have no contact with the outside world, no telephone and no family visits. During this period, the focus is entirely on abstinence, structure and rest. After that, contact with family is slowly rebuilt and a stable future is looked at.
In the boys' home, the young people were just doing homework. One by one they stood up to introduce themselves and tell why they were staying there. Their openness impressed me. We also talked about a possible activity that I could organize in the future. When I suggested organizing a boxing class, I could see from Felina's look that I had better think of something else.
Then we visited a center for children with learning and developmental problems, such as autism. Because there is hardly any specialized education in Bolivia, they develop methods here to allow children to participate as well as possible in regular education. It was special to see how much attention, patience and love there is in that guidance. What stuck with me most was the system where they reward the children with stickers that are converted into points twice a year. With these points, the children can choose things in improvised shops without interference from their parents. A nice system to promote self-management.
Finally, we went to the girls' house. They had prepared a dance for Felina for her birthday, gave presents and had made an extensive lunch with cake. What particularly touched me was the attention to gratitude. The youth stood up one by one and took the time to express to the whole group what they were grateful for —to each other and to Felina. That resonated strongly with me, because I am also consciously thinking about gratitude on a daily basis.
After lunch, spontaneous conversations arose about the Netherlands, life and the world. Before I knew it, I was in the middle of the girls pronouncing English words and answering all kinds of questions. It was a warm and special afternoon full of curiosity and connection. I look back on an inspiring and loving day, with many thanks to the whole team and all the young people. I will definitely come back to organize an activity with the young people."
I am currently in the Netherlands for a short while, following a good and very encouraging work-visit to Ireland. It was lovely to see so many of you! Here in the picture with Ruth, who visited us some years ago. Soon, before I travel back to Bolivia, there will be a few more visits in the USA, so arriving home will take a little while longer still.
With love and warm greetings, in the Lord Jesus, Fineke
