Overview
The Arkansas Chapter of the Arkansas-East Bolivia Partnership started in 1965 and has sponsored numerous exchanges over the years that have been based on professional expertise and volunteer enthusiasm in the areas of agriculture, culture and the arts, education, health, democratic initiatives, domestic violence, institutional alliances, and volunteerism. The area that had the most exchanges was agriculture (Farmer-to-Farmer) which included projects centered on horticulture—crop production through the use of herbicides for weed control, and insecticides for pest control; increasing dairy production, including the control of brucellosis; the prevention of soil erosion and the decrease in deforestation; and the increase of swine production.
The area of culture included a project focused on the use of masks and puppets in art therapy; the visit of a Bolivian artist who left a painting that is now housed at the Children’s Hospital in Little Rock; the teaching of the Suzuki method for playing violins; and the playing by the University of Arkansas’ orchestra of an original composition written by a visiting Bolivian musician.
In education, in addition to exchanges at all levels from elementary to higher education, there have been four teacher-in-resident exchanges: three English as a Foreign Language from the Centro Boliviano Americano(CBA) and one from Arkansas to the CBA. A professor of American literature is currently involved in providing some workshops/seminars to CBA faculty members.
Activities in the health area have included the establishment of a dental clinic in Santa Cruz, the observance by a gynecologist of techniques for administering and evaluating mammograms, and the observation of surgery and treatment of women with cervical cancer along with the development of a plan by the Santa Cruz and Arkansas Partners for Pap smear screening of women of low and moderate incomes.
Several exchanges in democratic initiatives provided opportunities for the observance of the ways by which democracy is promoted in the U. S., with special attention to the roles of student councils, projects like Kids Voting Arkansas, and efforts to get more women to seek public offices at all levels (local, state, and national). A domestic violence project provided information not only to educational professionals, but also to organizations and others who work with adults and children experiencing domestic violence both in Santa Cruz and in the Beni. An institutional alliance, an initiative involving the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, resulted in the reduction of fees for students from all over Bolivia which has enabled numerous students to graduate with degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctoral) over the last twelve years.
Over the more recent years, a lot of attention has focused on youth engagement programs. Groups of Youth Ambassadors have been hosted five times , and one U.S. Youth Ambassador along with one chaperon went to Ecuador. Educational exchanges have gotten underway in the area of journalism, with special emphasis on photojournalism and television production.
Leadership
Chapter Email: [email protected]
| Position | Name | Contact Information* |
| President | Sharon Garratt | Contact |
| Vice-President | Margaret Clark | Contact |
| Treasurer | John Ball | Contact |
| Secretary | Lorraine Duso Kitts | Contact |
