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We work amongst the Simba people in Bolivia (shaded area below) living in the Simba community of Taperillas.
The Simba tribe is located in the subtropical foothills of the Andes Mountains, in 65 communities over hundreds of kilometers.
The following pictures show not only the hilly terrain, but also typical Simba housing.
The children above (and in the following two pictures) were modeling some knit hats sent down by an American Church. They were grateful to receive them. The winter months can be very damp and chilly in the foothills where the Simba live, especially with the poor housing evident in these pictures.
Many of the Simba people not only lack warm hats in the cool weather, but also have only bare feet. In general, the Simba a hand-to-mouth, poverty-stricken people.
Blankets were also sent to these Simba People
The Simba are now in the midst of constructing better houses. A governmental organization has offered to provide the roofing and cement to every Simba family that makes its own adobes, builds the specified size walls, and cuts the necessary wooden roof trusses.
making and drying the Adobe
making the mud "mortar"
trimming and sizing the adobe blocks
placing the blocks in the walls
here is an old house of sticks and mud and grass roof next to the new adobe structure
One can also see the old versus the new in the Simba community of Awairenda, where we went on a medical outreach. Because this is a new Simba community, however, the "old housing" consists only of poles and some tarps that were donated. The people of Awairenda have lived in these conditions for over a year.
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