Bolivia Riverboat
We need your help to minister in Bolivia! DVMs, Vet Techs, and Vet Students are needed to support isolated Bolivian riverside villages by providing animal health clinics as outreach for our local partner, Enoel Suarez. Volunteers will stay on a riverboat that will stop at remote villages along water's edge. Join this exciting and unique trip to grow your faith and engage in vet work that includes small and large animal. Building relationships and ministering to others is a strong focus.
To register or receive more information, click "Express Interest" to the right.
Trip Leader: Dr. Sheri Keele
Trip Host: Enoel Suarez (Fundacion Cumpliendo Promesas)
Dates: May 28 - June 6, 2027
Vet Work: Our veterinary team will go through each community along the river’s path to help deworm, vaccinate (if available), give vitamin injections, and treat minor issues, like mange, in large and small animals. Minor surgeries may be performed if there are sufficient materials. You see what is brought to you or you walk to houses to treat. It usually is a mixture of large and small animals. The majority of the people in these river towns do not have access to outside sources of care for their animals. Translators will be provided.
Ministry Work: Ministry is often occurring alongside medical/dental/veterinary activities. In each community, there are evening evangelistic services and times spent in children’s ministry as well. You may be asked to share your testimony (through a translator) or give a short devotional. There are also times of sharing morning devotionals with the team on the boat each morning prior to engaging in that day’s activities. As a vet ministry, our goal is to help provide connections with community members through their animals to engage them in the Gospel. Through the work of these trips, multiple churches have been planted along the river communities were there was not any prior.
Number Needed: Depends on additional volunteers on the trip, but most groups sizes are 3-4 veterinary volunteers with 1-2 resource volunteers. Non-veterinary spouses are allowed as they can partner with evangelism, maintenance, kid’s ministry, medical/dental clinics, or any of the other activities that occur during the week-long trip. Children are only allowed with parents and must be 10 years old or older. Parents will need to sign a waiver for any child under 18 years of age.
Maximum Team Size: 7. Vets, 2-4 Vet Techs and/or Vet Students
Cost: $1,290 (not including airfare); Participants will need to take $1,000 of the cost down in cash (crisp, new $100 bills) for the host. Volunteers age 70+ will need to purchase their own insurance outside of CVM. For this reason, these volunteers will see a slight decrease in the CVM trip cost.
Health Requirements: With the rustic nature of sleeping on the boat and getting off and on the boat with a lot of walking involved, this trip is labeled moderate to highly strenuous. There are also periods where you may be on a bumpy dirt road for 5-8 hours getting to the river. The two biggest factors would be the ability to walk far and the stability to walk down a plank, getting off and on the boat. This is a physically demanding trip, involving balance, ladders, long walks, and a very hot and humid climate. It can be emotionally demanding with the poverty and privation you come face-to-face with.
We request that each volunteer have a clean bill of health from their medical physician before traveling.
Please be aware of and prepared for the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges that you may face before enrolling on this trip.
Additional Details: Volunteers will fly into and out of Santa Cruz, Bolivia (VVI). You should arrive on May 28. You will stay on the evening of the 28 in a hotel. You will then leave for the boat (docking location varies) on May 29. Once on the boat, you will be able to sleep in bunks or a hammock that are separated by gender. You will need to bring your own hammock (lightweight camping hammock), sleeping bag, and camping pad for the bunks. Bug spray and sunscreen are also highly recommended along with light-weight long-sleeve clothing to wear at dawn and dusk to help prevent mosquito bites. A complete packing list will be provided by the trip host.
Each boat trip is a mixture of male and female participants participating in a variety of ministries. Most trips do include "gringos" working in a variety of the ministries. The boat's housing is divided into male and female sleeping quarters with separate bathroom facilities as well. You will return from the boat on June 5. You will then spend the night in a hotel that night and fly out of VVI on June 6.
To register or receive more information, click "Express Interest" to the right.
Trip Leader: Dr. Sheri Keele
Trip Host: Enoel Suarez (Fundacion Cumpliendo Promesas)
Dates: May 28 - June 6, 2027
Vet Work: Our veterinary team will go through each community along the river’s path to help deworm, vaccinate (if available), give vitamin injections, and treat minor issues, like mange, in large and small animals. Minor surgeries may be performed if there are sufficient materials. You see what is brought to you or you walk to houses to treat. It usually is a mixture of large and small animals. The majority of the people in these river towns do not have access to outside sources of care for their animals. Translators will be provided.
Ministry Work: Ministry is often occurring alongside medical/dental/veterinary activities. In each community, there are evening evangelistic services and times spent in children’s ministry as well. You may be asked to share your testimony (through a translator) or give a short devotional. There are also times of sharing morning devotionals with the team on the boat each morning prior to engaging in that day’s activities. As a vet ministry, our goal is to help provide connections with community members through their animals to engage them in the Gospel. Through the work of these trips, multiple churches have been planted along the river communities were there was not any prior.
Number Needed: Depends on additional volunteers on the trip, but most groups sizes are 3-4 veterinary volunteers with 1-2 resource volunteers. Non-veterinary spouses are allowed as they can partner with evangelism, maintenance, kid’s ministry, medical/dental clinics, or any of the other activities that occur during the week-long trip. Children are only allowed with parents and must be 10 years old or older. Parents will need to sign a waiver for any child under 18 years of age.
Maximum Team Size: 7. Vets, 2-4 Vet Techs and/or Vet Students
Cost: $1,290 (not including airfare); Participants will need to take $1,000 of the cost down in cash (crisp, new $100 bills) for the host. Volunteers age 70+ will need to purchase their own insurance outside of CVM. For this reason, these volunteers will see a slight decrease in the CVM trip cost.
Health Requirements: With the rustic nature of sleeping on the boat and getting off and on the boat with a lot of walking involved, this trip is labeled moderate to highly strenuous. There are also periods where you may be on a bumpy dirt road for 5-8 hours getting to the river. The two biggest factors would be the ability to walk far and the stability to walk down a plank, getting off and on the boat. This is a physically demanding trip, involving balance, ladders, long walks, and a very hot and humid climate. It can be emotionally demanding with the poverty and privation you come face-to-face with.
We request that each volunteer have a clean bill of health from their medical physician before traveling.
Please be aware of and prepared for the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges that you may face before enrolling on this trip.
Additional Details: Volunteers will fly into and out of Santa Cruz, Bolivia (VVI). You should arrive on May 28. You will stay on the evening of the 28 in a hotel. You will then leave for the boat (docking location varies) on May 29. Once on the boat, you will be able to sleep in bunks or a hammock that are separated by gender. You will need to bring your own hammock (lightweight camping hammock), sleeping bag, and camping pad for the bunks. Bug spray and sunscreen are also highly recommended along with light-weight long-sleeve clothing to wear at dawn and dusk to help prevent mosquito bites. A complete packing list will be provided by the trip host.
Each boat trip is a mixture of male and female participants participating in a variety of ministries. Most trips do include "gringos" working in a variety of the ministries. The boat's housing is divided into male and female sleeping quarters with separate bathroom facilities as well. You will return from the boat on June 5. You will then spend the night in a hotel that night and fly out of VVI on June 6.