By Noelia Rendón, Communications Manager, Levántate Mujer Foundation, Bolivia (Province of Bolivia / Chile)
Committed to strengthening social and community work, the Levántate Mujer Foundation in Bolivia, through its Sartsaim Kullakita Therapeutic Center, welcomed new Catovolunteers – interns and volunteers who join their different areas of action, as part of an agreement with the “San Pablo” Bolivian Catholic University (UCB) and the Higher University of San Andrés (UMSA).
On September 1, at the UCB campus, the welcome ceremony for the Catovolunteers was held, in an event that included the participation of university authorities and Foundation representatives. The young people will support various social works linked to the Church and to the mission of journeying with and restoring the rights of the vulnerable, as carried out by Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Bolivia.
Days later, on September 5, a second welcome and induction session was held for Catovolunteers from UCB, interns from UMSA’s Social Work graduate program, and independent volunteers. The gathering made it possible to deepen knowledge and values through a Congregational Safeguarding training workshop.
During the opening, Sister Hortensia del Villar invited participants to reflect on the spirituality and values that sustain the Good Shepherd Mission, highlighting the importance of providing human, impactful, and transformative service. In her remarks, she recalled the legacy of Saint Mary Euphrasia: “You are destined to be new good shepherds.”
The team from the Sartsaim Kullakita Therapeutic Center presented the main lines of work carried out by Levántate Mujer Foundation, including holistic interventions for women, adolescents, and girls experiencing violence, group interventions, the use of alternative therapies, and coordination with institutional networks to provide a more effective response.
With the arrival of this new generation of volunteers, interns, and Catovolunteers, the Foundation aims to enhance its work in various community spaces and continue promoting a rights-based approach, the prevention of violence, and psychosocial support as fundamental pillars of its mission in Bolivia.
This article first appeared in Encuentro, the monthly newsletter of the Province of Bolivia/Chile; access aquí.
