Adan Quenta can’t catch an alpaca, but he can try. Twice a year, the 7-year-old runs around the pen Samaritan’s Purse built to try and wrestle the large, long-necked animals into getting vaccinated.

It’s a big job to do, with more than 100 animals in the herd, but Adan does what he can to help his father, Felipe. He knows the family’s livelihood depends on it.

Most families in the highlands of Bolivia are livestock herders. The Quenta’s have been raising alpacas for at least three generations, but the harsh conditions of the land present many challenges.

Adan’s Aunt Primitiva said their alpacas were always sick and many of them were dying. Parasites were getting into the brains of the animals, causing them to get thin, loose hair, and stop eating.

As the herd decreased in number, the Quenta family began to disperse. Four of Felipe’s children left for the city to look for work. One of the girls, Mary, had to leave her two children at the house while she worked at a fruit stand in El Alto—hours away. As a result, Mary could only visit her sons twice a month.

In October 2010, Samaritan’s Purse livestock coordinator Miguel Tintares saw the high infant mortality rate among the llamas and alpacas in Pirapi. We wanted to help the struggling families, and implemented a program to improve the quality and quantity of the herds.

Community health promoters trained by our staff began going to each family to give anti-parasite medication and vitamins. We built seven pens so that families could keep their livestock warm in the evenings when the temperature dropped, introduced high-quality males to the herds to improve the quality of the animals, and provided seed for nutritious fodder.

Samaritan’s Purse also held training sessions in the community, coupled with Bible studies, for education and to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Soon, the Quentas’ herd was bigger, healthier, and stronger. After the training, Felipe also separated the males and females based on the color of their fur so they could get pure colors for wool and then sell it at a higher price.

They used to get two kilos of wool from the herd. Now they are getting up to 12 and are making more clothing to sell. The family dreams of opening a wool factory and reuniting everyone back in Pirapi, so they can all work together.

“I realized that everyone can band together to help each other out, and that I don’t have to do it all alone,” Primitiva said.



Primitiva not only learned how to better care for the alpacas, but also about Jesus Christ.

“I have attended some Bible classes with Samaritan’s Purse and I have enjoyed learning about the Word of God,” she said. “I have also learned more about loving my neighbor and treating them with respect.”

Samaritan's Purse , Bolivia , Community Development , Bringing Families Together