Contaminated water is the most serious health threat to Bolivians.

About Bolivia

We're responding to a deep need: Bolivia is the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere after Haiti.

Bolivia is one of the least-developed countries in South America. Almost 70% of its people, many of whom are subsistence farmers, live in poverty. 23% of the Bolivian population lives on less than $1 per day; 42% live on less than $2 per day.

About half of the people speak Spanish as their first language. Approximately 90% of the children attend primary school but often for a year or less. The literacy rate is low in many rural areas, including Montero .

Bolivia has a young population. The median age is 20. Those under 14 years of age comprise 37% of the population. Nearly 90% of 16-year-olds can read-but at a 3rd grade level.

Once part of the Inca Empire, Bolivia has a population of 8 1/2 million*, 85% being either Indian or Mestizo-a mix of European and Native American ancestry. This is the highest percentage of Indian ancestry in the Americas. [*United Nations' 2005 estimate is 9 million.]

Bolivia has 3 official languages, Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara, but there are at least 26 language groups. Many in these groups are in remote valleys and jungles.