In October, 2024, I (Joe Koenig, Founder) had the opportunity to visit Bolivia with my 16 year old son. The purpose of our visit was to see a completed project, funded by Three Avocados, in Potosí, Bolivia.
We began our journey in St. Louis, with a flight to Houston, then to Panama, and on to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. We stayed overnight in Santa Cruz, which is a very warm, tropical climate. The next morning, we were up early and off to the airport to catch a flight to Sucre, Bolivia. Sucre sits at 9,154ft above sea level. We planned a few days in Sucre to acclimate to the elevation before climbing even more.
After a few days in Sucre, we met up with a representative from Compassion International and took a 3.5 hour car ride up to Potosí. Potosí sits at 13,419ft above sea level! As you can imagine, the car ride offered beautiful views as we climbed high into the mountains.
Potosí is a bustling community, much more so than I was expecting. However, it's a very poor area, with almost 60% of the population below the poverty line. Potosí always has been, and still is, very much a mining town. Cerro Rico, which translates to "rich mountain", is a massive source of silver, and has been since 1545!
We received a very warm welcome at the Compassion International Child Development Center. We had an opportunity to view water storage and bathrooms, funded by Three Avocados, in 2018. It was amazing to hear from the staff at the center, and the children, how impactful the bathroom has been - how it has improved health, improved school attendance, and provided dignity to the children.
I can't thank you enough for your purchases of Three Avocados coffee. Your purchases make these projects possible!
