Farmers in Bolivia are making yogurt for local school children to enjoy during breakfast.

When schoolchildren in Chuma, Bolivia, are served yogurt packs for breakfast, they are often made with ingredients from Samaritan’s Purse agricultural projects cultivated in their own community. What’s more, Samaritan’s Purse helped a cooperative of local farmers establish a community production center where they process and package the yogurt.

The yogurt making started with our dairy animals project, when we trained farmers in the remote mountain community to raise dairy cows to produce milk for their families’ diet, as well as to sell locally.

A child enjoys freshly pasteurised milk at the dairy processing centre.

Our agricultural specialists based in Bolivia also helped the farmers improve their crop production through training and providing quality seeds to grow fruits and vegetables.

Samaritan’s Purse then provided resources for a community dairy processing centre where they could pasteurise the milk and a food processing centre to dehydrate and package the fruits and vegetables.

Thankful for Provisions

The farmers’ combined efforts have yielded not only a healthier variety of food for their own diets, it has also enabled them to store dehydrated fruits and vegetables for the winter and to sell a larger volume of products.

A community member makes yogurt at the processing center we built in Chuma.

“Thanks to Samaritan’s Purse and this centre, we’ve built this community project,” said Ramiro, a local dairy farmer.

“We’ve learned how to make yogurt, cheese, and ice cream from the milk, and the community centre has given us a place to make and store it.”

His wife, Rosemery, carries a bucket full of fresh milk to the community processing centre each day from the cow that Samaritan’s Purse gave them as part of our dairy animals project.

Dairy projects in Bolivia are helping local people and opening doors for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“It’s a good feeling to be able to make yogurt and cheese for our family and for the children in the community,” Rosemery said. “It helps with their growth and nutrition.”

Rosemery also has served as a Samaritan’s Purse “mother leader,” teaching health, nutrition, and hygiene to fellow mothers in town after she was taught these health practices by Samaritan’s Purse staff.

“Jesus Christ sent us these brothers and sisters from Samaritan’s Purse,” said Alicia, who makes yogurt at the processing centre. “Thanks to Samaritan’s Purse, my kids and my family eat healthy food. Thanks to them, we are going to be healthier.”