ETHOS, Orphanage, and animal rights

The Bolivia Project did much more than subsidize the price of solar cookers in 2008. It also became involved in helping get money to other organizations in need. This started in early summer as Eli Lilly and company’s matching gift program donated $1000 to support the ETHOS program at the University of Dayton. The money will be used to help improve opportunities for undergraduate engineers to use their technical experience to alleviate humanitarian problems abroad.

A second effort was realized by Bolivia Project volunteers David and Lisa Beckwith. By offering to give up their Christmas presents in exchange for donations they were able to raise nearly $1500 for the House of Dreams Orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In addition to volunteering with solar cookers, Lisa Beckwith, used her talents as a social worker to help out the orphanage while living in Cochabamba. Donations bought items such as books, toys, and toiletries to support this growing orphanage as it gives Bolivian children the opportunity to grow up in a supportive environment with opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise encounter.


A third and final effort raised $250 in support of biodiversity and conservation in Bolivia through the donations of many at St. Barnabas parish. Aprons of Thanks, coordinated by Suzette Phillips, has traditionally sold Aprons to benefit solar cookers and Suzette has recently began to sell reusable shopping bags to benefit animal rights in conjunction with daughter-in-law Paola Phillips. The two will use the $250 to support animal refuges in Cochabamba run by Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi, an organization that combats animal trafficking and protects biodiversity.