We help children and adolescents who were taken
from the streets or have been removed form their
homes by the local child protection services, and
were placed in one of the shelters we work with.
We provide therapy to diffrent groups at various locations in and around the city
Cochabamba in Bolivia. These children are now going to school, but many of them have
to work to keep themselves and their brothers and sisters alive. We offer them a safe
place, where they learn to trust again. In our lessons we discuss topics such as
self-awareness, recognizing emotions and sexuality.
Our method has its roots in creative
therapy and it varies from working with
dance and music, from puppetry to
arts. It always closely relates to the
experiences of these children.
It can be very difficult for the children
to express their emotions, as they have
suppressed them for so many years.
Play therapy is then an effective way
for them to work through traumas.
The situations in de classroom during
play can then be seized as opportunities
to bring the emotions to reflection.
Our work is to increase the resilience
of these children. We build a bond of
trust by always being there for them
and to be consistently there for them.
The familiar faces of our trusted local
staff are an essential component of this.
They know the cultural background
and the issues of these children very
well and they act as role-models and
confidantes.
In our classes we teach the children
how to deal with themes such as
assertiveness, self respect and self-
awareness, recognition of emotions,
working together, and machismo
behaviour.
In addition to providing psychosocial
therapy, we also work on the practical
skills of the children. To prepare them
for their future and to guide them
towardas a self-sufficient life, it is
important to let the children discover
where their interests and talents lie.
Every step along the way is celebrated:
large scale transformation in the end
consists of small steps forward!
Moreover, it also helps in developing
their self-confidence. And this way
they do not only create a better future
for themselves, but also for their
environment.
Sustainability is an important theme within our organization. Beside investing in the children
and adolescents we also support local teachers and social workers in their development.
Our Bolivian trainers and teachers receive further training and coaching on a weekly basis from
Laurie IJzerman (founder of Casa de la Alegría) and (local) therapists that support us on a
temporary basis. This organization gives us the opportunity to contribute to local employment
and knowledge-sharing.
Our trainings are very concrete on the one hand: we study and develop games – the basis of creative
therapy – to see how we can give these children the best possible support. We further study how we
can engage the energy and focus of a group, how we can best deal with negative behaviour, and
how the logistics of a class are best organized. On the other hand we take a deep-dive in subjects like
abuse, emotions, setting boundaries, and social manners. Furthermore we dive into the background
of the teachers, as their own convictions, childhood, and traumas often play an large role in their
classes. This means that not only the children benefit from the trainings, but also the teachers and
their families themselves.
Casa de la Alegrı́a cooperates with shelters run and established
by the Bolivian government. Depending on the situation in which
the children are in, we offer different projects:
DEALING WITH MACHISMO
Bolivia has a deeply rooted
culture of machismo. In our
classes we spend a lot of time
on this topic. Machismo culture
normalizes violence for many
children and makes it so that
girls and women are seen as
objects. We help children in the
setting of boundaries for
themselves
STARS FROM THE STREETS
The street is an important locus
for many Bolivian children. Not
only to work and support the
family income, but often also
to escape domestic violence.
Life on the streets increases
the contact children have with
drugs and criminal behavior.
SURVIVING ABUSE
Working through trauma
means that children and
adolescents have to (re)learn
expressing their emotions and
developing a renewed sense
of selfconfidence. Play therapy
is one of the methods we
employ to achieve these goals.
AFTER HUMAN TRAFFICKING
In Bolivia every year hundreds
of girls from poor families are
kidnapped, sold, and forced to
work in prostitution. We offer
these survivors a safe haven from
where they can rebuild trust and
we support them in developing a
positive outlook on the future.
> Read more about the local shelters where Casa de la Alegría offers therapy
As a foundation with an ANBI-status
(Dutch non-profit organisation status) we are
funded by various funds among which our
Amigos (regular donors). These funds are
used for classmaterials and paying our staff.
Casa de la Alegría is striving for selfsufficiency:
local intership mediator and language school
Beyond South America was set up to increase
the financial sustainability of our foundation.
Take a look at their website to learn more!
Do you want to know more about Casa? Take a look at our annual reports.