Victor Hugo, a fisherman living in a village in the Amazon basin of Bolivia, struggled to feed his family. His daily catch was barely enough to meet his own needs. Rarely was there enough to sell on the open market.

Like most fishermen in the impoverished area, he didn’t have the proper equipment. His nets were old and in poor repair. He didn’t have a boat, so he couldn’t get to the best spots.

Samaritan's Purse is implementing a new program to help people like Victor Hugo in poor river communities who rely on fishing as a livelihood.

We are providing boats and related equipment in 11 villages to help increase fishing capacity and generate incomes for needy families. The goal is that 40 percent of all the fish harvested will be designated as a food source for the community. The remaining 60 percent will be sold commercially, providing income for future community improvement projects including latrines, construction of a medical clinic, school improvement projects, school supplies, medicine, and other necessities.

In addition to the boats, each community will receive a motor, a high-capacity fishing net, and a stainless-steel cooler to store the fish. We also are providing training in fishing techniques, in natural resource preservation, and in ways of marketing their products. The communities are contributing oars, ropes, and hooks, and will be responsible for the maintenance of the equipment.

Six fishing boats and equipment have been distributed so far, with the rest scheduled to be given out in the coming month.

The project is expected to benefit more than 600 families and 3,000 individuals in the 11 river communities.

But the impact goes beyond food and income. Each family that receives equipment and training also is presented with a Bible and has an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

“They are taught that God cares for their needs and well-being and, as human beings created in God’s very image, He wants them to live in dignity,” the Samaritan's Purse project leader said. “We hope that this project will help these poor fishing families to be able to satisfy their basic needs. More importantly, our hope is to see these families and river communities come to know God.”

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Samaritan's Purse , Bolivia , Community Development , Catch of the Day