Hop in a Time Machine to 1960s Bolivia

By Jason Woods

October 3, 2019

Hop in a Time Machine to 1960s Bolivia

At the request and effort of pastors and leaders from the Methodist Evangelical Church in Bolivia, Heifer Project began work in the country in 1957. Initially, families in the altiplano were given rabbits and training on animal breeding and husbandry. The focus later shifted to alpacas and dairy cows. The animals were flown from the United States to the cities of La Paz and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. From there, they were taken to remote, rural communities. 

Heifer’s work in Bolivia continued until 2018, when the office closed.

A black and white image of an indigenous Bolivian woman holding a day-old sheep, donated by Heifer Project.
An indigenous Bolivian woman holds a day-old sheep, the offspring of sheep donated by Heifer Project.
A child pets a Heifer-donated goat as his mother looks on.
A child says hello to a Heifer-donated goat as his mother looks on.
A man weighs a pig in a field while a teen boy writes it down on a notepad.
Recording the weight of an unimpressed pig in a field in Bolivia.
A group of volunteers help a sheep down a ramp.
Volunteers try to convince a Heifer-donated sheep to leave the airplane in Cochabamba, Bolivia, on April 8, 1964. The shipment was a part of a memorial shipment for President John F. Kennedy.
Two native Bolivians examine a crate of eggs.
Heifer project participants examine fresh eggs in rural Bolivia.
A native Bolivian man and woman smile while they hold chickens.
Two members of a Heifer poultry club project show off their hens in Vinto, Bolivia, on May 3, 1966.