SStS releases final trip details for new programs in Cambodia and Tibet.
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The SStS Bolivia Program trip begins in the highest capital on earth, La Paz. Here students will get a taste for the ancient Ayamara culture created amidst 21,000-foot peaks. The time here is short as the bulk of the service work will be in the most biologically-diverse spot on the planet, the Bolivian Amazon. Here the rivers are the highways and the indigenous communities lay scattered along its banks. These communities of the Rio Beni live a remote existence, with subsistence living conditions and minimal access to clean water. These indigenous populations (primarily the Chimane, Mosetene, Tacana and Quechua Indians) historically have had little access to primary health care services. Our partner NGO, the Rio Beni Health Foundation, provides these essential services to the people of the Rio Beni. The project primarily focuses on supporting mobile clinics, participating in local trainings, and building filters for a potable water initiative.
While in the Amazon, SStS students will live with the communities they have come to support. They will build water filters for schools and homes that have no access to clean water. The filters will help minimize the disturbingly-high infant mortality rates and provide clean water to their hosts. They will hear stories of life in the Amazon around campfires and enjoy soccer with the local kids. SStS students will experience a jungle that provides life to more species than any other place on earth and ask why it is rapidly disappearing. They will see firsthand the struggles that the Amazonian people face and the enjoyment that they derive from their simple lives. They will learn to appreciate survival in its most basic form and be part of a team that will literally save lives.
SStS: Bolivia is structured in three phases:
Phase I: Pre-departure education and preparation
Includes staff meetings, reading materials, detailed travel information sessions (e.g. vaccinations, insurance, clothing, etc);
Students will be included in all sessions through teleconferencing, email, phone, fax, blogs, and mail;
Introduction of the "5 lenses" curriculum through on-line activities.
Phase II: In-country Service Trip (June 17 - July 1)
All projects have definable goals that will be outlined in pre-trip meetings;
In-country liaisons are assigned to us by The Rio Beni Health Foundation;
The in-country experience includes varied projects for the communities of the Rio Beni region including assistance with clinic work and their potable water initiative. Students will travel by river to remote communities where they will build and install water filters;
Other activities may include a visits to a women's empowerment group in La Paz, a Torewa homestay, and tour of the Bolivian salt flats or Lake Titicaca;
Evening "debriefing" sessions will focus on cultural, political, geographic and economic variables that affect the area.
Phase III: School and Public Presentations (January/February)
Students will coordinate to create presentations appropriate for their community at large and for a younger, school-based populations;
Students at each school will be expected to coordinate with their classmates to create a cohesive presentation;
The multi-media nature of these presentations has unlimited potential, yet the goal will be to share collective insights through the 5 lenses of SStS.
* PROJECTED IN-COUNTRY COSTS - $2855
SStS is in search of curious, compassionate, globally-minded students. We are an investment in the future. Thus, we will do all that we can financially to support students whose circumstances preclude paying the full cost. If you would like to be considered for financial assistance, please indicate so on the application.
Please note, price does not include airfare and immunizations.
Trip costs are all inclusive with the exception of personal expenditures (e.g. souvenirs).
Tickets and medical evacuation insurance are purchased as a group. The cost of this insurance is included in the in-country costs.
Talbot Travel Agency provides pro-bono travel services for SStS, working personally with us to find the least expensive fares
TRAVEL EXPECTATIONS
Please note that we expect all participants to travel together, adhering to the identical itinerary. We will depart the United States as a group from a gateway city. Exemptions will be made for international students. Additionally, travel in the developing world inevitably includes "the unexpected" (e.g. weather disruptions, transportation strikes, etc.). SStS will adjust the itinerary accordingly, making the best of uncontrollable situations. Due to the unknown variables in international travel, participants are asked not to make travel plans or to enroll in programs that start immediately after their return. SStS is not responsible for expenses incurred due to missed flights if the group is delayed in their return.
