Health in Bolivia
Individuals, families and communities experience better health through informed health practices, accessing quality health care and strengthened local healthcare facilities.
Through its Healthy Municipalities Programme, Suyana promotes preventive healthcare to reduce nutritional deficiencies and dental diseases, while providing basic medical and oral health services — including preventive treatments to achieve “Zero Cavities” among students. In line with Bolivia’s national approach to community-based and culturally inclusive healthcare (SAFCI), we collaborate with local authorities to strengthen public health systems by training professionals and equipping facilities, ensuring that quality services reach even the most remote areas.
Key Initiatives
Addressing Malnutrition
Health and Nutrition Programmes
The programme strengthens child health and nutrition through complementary actions. Regular anthropometric assessments monitor children’s growth and detect malnutrition early. Bio gardens serve as practical learning spaces for students to learn about nutritious food and sustainable agriculture, while providing fresh produce for school meals. Educational materials promote healthy eating in schools, and family workshops encourage improved hygiene and nutrition at home.
Water Resource Management
In addition, the programme promotes safe water consumption and effective management of water resources to improve hygiene and prevent disease.
What we do in practice:
- Conduct regular growth monitoring to detect malnutrition early
- Establish bio gardens and promote sustainable food practices
- Support school feeding initiatives with nutritious meals
- Deliver workshops on nutrition and hygiene for families
- Promote safe water consumption and resource management
Promoting Dental Health & Zero Cavities
Comprehensive Dental Care Initiatives
Through fully equipped mobile units, Suyana’s medical teams deliver preventive and restorative dental care to remote communities with limited access to oral health services. The approach combines early prevention with essential treatments and specialised support, ensuring long-term improvements in oral health.
Regular check-ups, fluoride applications, sealants, and restorative treatments prevent and address common dental conditions such as cavities and gum disease. A highlight is the Zero Cavities Programme, a child-focused initiative that promotes oral hygiene in an engaging way, encouraging healthy habits and rewarding students who maintain cavity-free teeth.
Education & Community Awareness
Schools play a central role in prevention. Workshops teach children and teachers proper brushing techniques, oral hygiene routines, and the importance of nutrition for strong teeth. To extend these practices to families, toothbrushes and toothpaste are distributed to children and parents, while community campaigns in local languages encourage regular dental check-ups.
Capacity Building & Sustainability
To ensure long-term impact, Suyana strengthens local capacities by training dental professionals through workshops and refresher courses, and by equipping health facilities with modern tools. Collaboration with local authorities integrates dental care into public health strategies, ensuring sustainability. Patients with complex cases are referred to specialised dental hospitals through formal cooperation agreements.
What we do in practice:
- Deliver preventive and restorative dental care through mobile dental units
- Provide fluoride applications, sealants, and restorative treatments
- Run the Zero Cavities Programme promoting oral hygiene among children
- Organise school workshops and community campaigns in local languages
- Train and support local dental professionals and strengthen health facilities
- Collaborate with authorities to integrate dental health into public health strategies
- Refer complex cases to specialised partner dental hospitals
Strengthening Healthcare Systems
Bringing Essential Medical Care to Remote Communities
The programme provides comprehensive medical care to remote communities, combining direct healthcare with capacity building and data-driven monitoring to strengthen public health systems.
Through mobile healthcare units, Suyana offers general medical attention and health screenings in underserved regions, ensuring timely diagnosis and treatment for vulnerable populations. Preventive healthcare and education are central, with sessions on hygiene, nutrition, and disease prevention that empower families to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Sustainability is ensured through collaboration with local health systems. Training and knowledge-sharing with official health representatives enhance their ability to provide continuous care, while regular assessments and reporting contribute to improving national health strategies and evidence-based policymaking.
What we do in practice:
- Deliver general medical check-ups, screenings, and treatments in remote areas
- Promote preventive healthcare through hygiene, nutrition, and disease prevention sessions
- Train and support local health representatives to ensure continuous care
- Monitor health data and contribute to national strategies for long-term improvements
Deworming for Better Health
Protecting Children from Parasitic Infections
In remote Andean villages, intestinal parasites remain a major health challenge, affecting children’s nutrition and development. Poor hygiene and contaminated water often lead to infections that cause diarrhoea, malnutrition, and anaemia, hindering both physical and cognitive growth. Through regular deworming campaigns, Suyana works to eliminate parasites and promote healthy habits that prevent reinfection.
What we do in practice:
- Conduct screenings in coordination with local health facilities to detect parasitic infections
- Provide regular deworming medication to improve children’s nutrition and development
- Promote hygiene and safe water practices to prevent reinfection
Safeguarding Livelihoods Through Animal Deworming
Farm and domestic animals are essential to rural livelihoods, providing milk, meat, and wool. Parasites in livestock and pets can spread to humans, causing illness and economic losses. The programme extends parasite control to dogs and cats—often overlooked in prevention—reducing transmission between species. Families are actively engaged through awareness sessions on animal health and parasite prevention, ensuring lasting behavioural change at community level.
Sustainability is reinforced through partnerships with municipal authorities, who are encouraged to integrate pet deworming into livestock health programmes. To ensure effectiveness, each animal is carefully weighed and treated with the correct dose of broad-spectrum antiparasitic medication.
What we do in practice:
- Carry out deworming campaigns for dogs, cats, and livestock to reduce parasite transmission
- Engage families through training on animal health and parasite prevention
- Partner with municipal authorities to embed pet deworming into livestock health strategies
- Provide targeted treatment by weighing each animal and administering the correct dosage
By combining medical treatment with prevention and education, Suyana ensures healthier communities and more resilient livelihoods in rural Bolivia.
Join us in transforming the lives of Bolivia’s remote highland communities.
