An orange haze filled the sky as David Lopez steered his yellow boat back to the banks of El Masi. It would be a peaceful evening since he had a cooler full of fish to bring home to his wife and three boys.

There would be plenty to eat that night. And in the morning, David could sell the remainder of his catch in the nearby city of Trinidad.




He still remembers the exact date he received the boat from Samaritan’s Purse. It was September 21, 2009, about a year after massive floods destroyed everything he owned.

“I was a farmer and lost my entire crop of yucca, corn, and plantains,” David said. “I lost everything. I couldn’t grow any food for 7 months.”

Since all of the crops and most of the animals in El Masi died, the men were forced to look for work elsewhere. David found a job as a day laborer in Camiaco, about an hour away.

“I felt sad,” he said. “I was scared because I had no money to buy food, and I was dependent on what the floods left behind, which was not much.”

He was working one afternoon when he heard a radio announcement telling people that Samaritan’s Purse would be implementing projects in the area to help families recover from the flooding.

David was among the men who told our staff they were willing to participate in the programs we had to offer. They returned home to start restoring their community.

“We were so impressed by them that we brought all of our projects to El Masi,” said Angel Huanca, our technical advisor for livestock projects.

Every family in the community got a water filter, and we provided three boats with motors, coolers, and fishing nets to the men. With better equipment, they could triple their catch and have a means of getting it to the city fresh to sell for a good price.




“When Samaritan’s Purse showed up I felt at peace, and I knew everything was going to be OK, and that I had a future,” David said. “No one had ever helped us to that extent before. It was like a huge arm came down and lifted us up.”

El Masi began to change dramatically. Chronic diarrhea in children was reduced by 20 percent, fishermen were able to start saving money for their kid’s futures, and families learned how to grow more fruits and vegetables, reducing malnutrition rates in the region.

Through the terraplenes system we built, 23 families in El Masi are growing crops without fear that floods or drought will destroy them.

Terraplenes are berms that are raised above the water level. As rainwater pours down, the excess drains into the surrounding moats. Farmers can plant corn, beans, and yucca seeds on the elevated soil knowing they won’t be washed away during the rainy season.

We also stocked the pools with fish fingerlings, so families will always have a secure source of protein. Banana trees are planted around the perimeter of the flood embankments for shade and fruit.




Families will be able to harvest 3-4 times a year, giving them ample amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables that are loaded with vitamins and minerals.




“These are not agricultural people,” said Cassio Ferriera, livestock coordinator for Samaritan’s Purse in Bolivia. “They fish 9 months out of the year and gather whatever they can find from the jungle. So they are not used to agricultural practices or techniques, but we are teaching them how to be agricultural people again.”

Cassio said that if the families in El Masi are diligent in teaching their children how to care for their plants and animals, their chance of survival and good health will be much higher in the future.




As our staff trained the community how to farm, as well as basic principles of health and hygiene, we told them of the love of God that never fails.

Jesus Cueva Arapi was one of the 17 people who accepted Christ when our evangelism coordinator, Francisco Salas, presented the Gospel in El Masi.

“I saw that my children were not getting sick anymore and that all of my prayers were being answered,” Jesus said. “So when they asked me if I wanted to accept Christ, I knew the God they talked about was a good God. I didn’t know much about Him before Samaritan’s Purse came here.”

Jesus is not only leading the fishing microenterprise, but he is also in our seminary program, taking classes once a month with Francisco. His dream is for a church to be built in El Masi one day.




Together, the fishermen of El Masi have more confidence now when they push their boats out onto the Mamoré River. As David and Jesus casts their nets, they know God is with them and will provide for their needs as He did after the flooding.




“I still feel that same peace I had when Samaritan’s Purse came today,” David said.

Samaritan's Purse , Bolivia , Community Development , Lifting Up Communities