Puente de Solidaridad In Action (At Home)
Adhering to quarantine in Bolivia has meant the closure of the offices of Puente de Solidaridad (PdS). The PdS offices in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz are important spaces where our patients and medical partners go to receive the care and support they need to make essential surgery accessible. Though they cannot meet personally at this time, the PdS staff is still working diligently to support our medical partners, and shepherd vulnerable patients toward the care they need. As you’d expect, for those who have computer and internet access at home, virtual meetings have become the norm, while for others, their work continues via the phone and WhatsApp. Below is a sneak peek of what it looks like for our colleagues in Bolivia to work remotely.
Board of Directors and Leadership
Patricia Vargas, Executive Director, meets with the Board of Directors via Zoom
For those with internet access at home, virtual meetings make collaborative work possible. Patricia Vargas, the executive director of PdS still meets regularly with the Board of Directors. She and Patricia Paz Estenssoro, Regional Administrator in Santa Cruz, are also attentive to the emergency phone lines for each office, taking calls from medical partners and patients. They also keep in touch with all staff members through phone calls and WhatsApp chat groups.
Community Relations
Marcela Canedo, Coordinator of Public Relations and Fundraising
PdS enjoys a strong reputation in communities across Bolivia. Their social media channels have a large following, and their work is often featured on local radio and TV stations. Marcela Canedo, Coordinator of Public Relations and Fundraising, continues her outreach to peer organizations who support our work with vulnerable populations. Likewise, Ariel Montaño, Communications Coordinator, works hard to keep communities informed through Facebook, WhatsApp, and other channels. In addition to keeping patients and medical partners informed, Marcela and Ariel have also been working to promote information about the quarantine and community public health practices to all of their online followers.
Social Workers Show Care from Afar
Social workers from PdS, in addition to being at home caring for their own young families, continue to attend to patients, especially those in our pediatric cardiac surgery and pacemaker programs. The quarantine places an additional burden on the regular medical care these patients need to manage their conditions. Our social work team continues to field calls from new patients who need support, and work to connect patients with our medical partners in whatever ways are possible.
Medical Supply Management
José Choque loads supplies into a waiting ambulance at our Cochabamba warehouse.
José Choque, the head of Medical Supplies and Equipment is also busy. Luckily, our main warehouse is located on the land around his home. Despite strict travel restrictions, a few of our nearby medical partners have been allowed to come to the warehouse, and José has even delivered some supplies on his bicycle. Though the deliveries may be small, they are great acts of solidarity and a true commitment to our mission to support medical providers with the resources they need to care for their communities.
Will you make a donation today to ensure that our programs can continue throughout this pandemic?
Patients living on the margins have often already delayed medical treatment due to the pressures of their daily responsibilities or lack of financial resources. These are the people we strive to serve, especially in these challenging circumstances.