Fundacion Cerro Rico - Bolivia

The Cerro Rico Mines Foundation aims to provide an education for children living in local mining communities. This will enable them to have the opportunity to seek alternative employment in the future other than mining.

This project was initiated by the owners of one of Imaginative Traveller's local agents in Bolivia. Marvin and Jackie, who are originally from Potosi, wanted to set up a project to help the children who live in the local mining communities. Around 8,000 people work in the mines of Potosi and most boys have no alternative but to follow their fathers into the mines. They start work there from the age of seven as assistant miners earning 20 Bolivianos per day - around $2.50.

After purchasing a piece of land in Potosi, the Cerro Rico Mines Foundation started to build a school for the children but unfortunately because of lack of money they had to halt the project, and in 2005 the building work that they had already completed was destroyed by bad weather. Imaginative Traveller are hoping to help them raise enough funds to be able to restart this project.

The Foundation also provides masks to children that work in the mines to stop them breathing in dust and poisonous chemicals (at a cost of around $30 per mask). The intention is not to enable children to work in the mines but to protect them whilst the foundation tries to achieve its ultimate aim of getting them out of the mines and into school.