In connection with Amizade and CEOLI, Marvin and Marti Wachs, members of NCPOA, offer beautiful hand-painted greeting cards.  For the 8th year in a row, this greeting card project supports disabled young people in Cochabamba, Bolivia.   Some of you have recently served as volunteers in Bolivia, and some of you have graciously bought these cards in the past.  Whatever your connection or involvement, we hope you will consider purchasing CEOLI cards this year.  In 2010 we have several new artists.  You can read about them in the biography section of our website.  We also have a new art teacher

Carlos Vargas reports a successful medical team visit in March with 5 plastic surgeons doing approximately 105 surgical procedures in over 45 children (which brings the total to over 710 procedures in 7 years!) and 2 endoscopic-laparoscopic surgeons performing 15 endoscopic surgeries. On the ENT side, over 50 patients were seen.

Activities in Cochabamba and Tarija Areas, Bolivia
FTF (Farmer-to-Farmer) Beekeeping activities have a long history in our partnership.  Although we are no longer officially funded as a FTF program country, we have maintained our contacts.  The FTF Cochabamba Coordinator, Mauricio Ramirez remains very interested in beekeeping having been a beekeeper himself.  Also Julio Ledo, professor of beekeeping at the Agricultural School in Cochabamba has constantly worked with FTF volunteers.  In the entire history of FTF activities in Cochabamba, Julio is the only university agricultural worker to be interested in outreach activities to area farmers at the public institution.  We have not pursued outreach through some of the private universities since for the most part their emphasis is not in agriculture.  We also continually have worked with Greby Caillavy who works with a ngo in the Mizque area of the department.  His wife Norma is a very successful honey bee queen producer.  Nabor Mendizabal continues to be a main contact for educational activities in beekeeping and currently is employed with an ngo in Tarija.  Also Juan Carlos has been employed by a ngo.  Thanks to the efforts of Julio and FTF, all of the above now maintain strong ties to the beekeepers in the Bolivian high valley region.  Prior to FTF activities they were not beekeepers so FTF has helped them out individually and also helped out countless other beekeepers through their work.  Our primary traveler volunteer has been Don Hopkins.  Don has continued to work through the Flex FTF program as well as being hosted by an ngo in Tarija.  Don has included with him several co travelers including myself in 2011(I also am a beekeeper and do indeed give most of the credit to FTF since my first time in a bee suit was at a FTF workshop).

From Steve Gibson’s Facebook account relating to his trip to Bolivia     Jan 23  Sad news from Bolivia, my counterpart's Mom Viki Ramirez passed away Sat. night. She was a true inspiration to many volunteers from US that traveled to Cochabamba. Her love for the people in the rural areas inspired me. She of course lives on in Heaven but also here on earth because the example she showed to all by making the world a better place. I can still see her speaking to the rural children in Quechua as we gave out the bags of school and family health items.

Don Brockington has been a long-time member of NC Partners.  He died peacefully Nov. 1 in Chapel Hill after a long illness. His archeology work into the Bolivian Andes and Amazon. His wife Lolita joined him on his many adventures. He devoted years of service to UNC, where he taught in the Anthropology department from 1967 to 1996, as well as to his profession, wrote edited or coauthored scores of articles in English and Spanish, and received numerous awards, grants, and fellowships relating to his projects.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Donald L.