Every Effort Helps

This two-minute video focuses on the importance of education for Bolivian children.

But how does health affect education?

For every child in the video, and thousands of their classmates, each day of school brings them closer to a life free of poverty. Every day is important, even when supportive teachers (mentioned in the video) give extensions so struggling kids can finish their homework.

If a child gets sick... they miss school.

If a sibling gets sick, and a child needs to care for them because a parent has to work... they miss school.

Health is an integral part of education.

Our partners in the Clean Hands, Healthy Schools program are working help children stay healthy so they can stay in school, through basic handwashing and dental hygiene education. Keep kids healthy, keep kids in school.

Every donation supports these efforts in Bolivia. Make a tax-deductible donation here.

-- Mackenzie Malia
President & Co-Founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children

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Life in a Catastrophe: Nurses on the Front Lines

Damaged infrastructure limiting transportation...
No access to clean water...
Inconsistent access to gas for cooking, and no electricity...
A poor population with limited means to make rapid improvements or access needed cash.

This is a new reality for so many people after the catastrophic damage of recent hurricanes and earthquakes in the Caribbean and Mexico.

It is the constant reality for so many people in Provincia Los Andes in Bolivia where the AAVia Foundation funds programs through the School of Nursing at Pucarani.

I recently blogged about how important and cost-effective hand-washing is, and why it is such an important part of the program we fund. Nursing students and professors lead a remarkable program, Clean Hands, Healthy Schools program (CHHS), where they have designed education materials and developed lessons to use with children and parents to teach the WHO hand-washing method as well as dental care.

Green: Area of CHHS program reach around Pucarani in Year 1.
Red: Area of CHHS program reach after Year 2.

The province of Los Andes, from Pucarani to the shores of Lake Titicaca, is rural, with little development. It is off the beaten path as it sits separate from the capital city of La Paz and is wedged apart from the routes even tourists might take from the Peruvian border, through the lovely lakeside town of Copacabana, and across the Altiplano to La Paz.

Only 17% of the homes have running water. The arid land of the Altiplano limits farming options. Most all the roads are dirt and stone, limiting transportation. Homes often cook with propane tanks and depend on when, or if, trucks make a delivery to the rural area. A large number of children have intestinal parasites. And with the poverty and limited resources, intestinal and respiratory infections are common. This often leads to missed school, malnutrition, underweight children, stunted growth, and too often, death.

The Clean Hands, Healthy School program is that important: it saves lives.

Nursing student teaches children to wash hands well in Igachi, Bolivia, 2017, with CHHS.

The School of Nursing at Pucarani not only provides professional training for so many in the region, an effort that pays dividends, it also reaches out to the region where they are needed, and is helping the children and whole community survive even as they face a constant catastrophe.

And that is why we are so proud to partner with them in the effort!

Please help with a tax-deductible donation to the AAVia Foundation and, if you are in the area, join us for our 4th Annual Gala on Friday, October 13 at Casa Larga Vineyards in Fairport, NY.

-- Timothy Malia, MD
Medical Director & Co-Founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children

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Bolivian Conductor Boris Vasquez is AAVia Foundation's Special Guest!

For the 4th Annual Gala on Friday, October 13, our Special Guest is Boris Vasquez, the director and conductor of La Orquestra Sinfónica Juvenil de Santa Cruz (Youth Symphonic Orchestra of Santa Cruz), and we could not be happier!

Boris combines a passion for music with a desire to influence the world. His students are are from low-income families with little access to music and the arts. Through music, Boris teaches his students that by joining the many skills of various people, a symphony orchestra can perform many beautiful works, as seen here during a recent rehearsal for a special celebration performance:

The AAVia Foundation understands that the sphere of children's health often touches upon the arts. Access to music through a youth orchestra provides opportunities in a community that can provide support and encouragement in many ways.

Our shared interest in supporting the children of Bolivia make us excited to host Boris in Rochester!

Special Guest Boris Vasquez from Bolivia

Join us on Friday, October 13 at Casa Larga Vineyards in Fairport, NY at our 4th Annual Gala to enjoy the wisdom and talents of Boris Vasquez of the Youth Symphonic Orchestra of Santa Cruz.

--Timothy Malia, MD and Mackenzie Malia
Co-Founders, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children

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Hand-Washing is Exciting ... and Cost-Effective!

A donation to a non-profit should make an impact. And with the AAVia Foundation your support does.

We fund a Bolivian-based program run by a rural nursing school that reaches schools and communities throughout its province to promote hand-washing and dental care.
That should excite you!
Why?

Because to public health specialists such a program is fantastic, even "exciting!" And you should believe them.

Children practicing hand-washing, via School of Nursing at Pucarani.

The handy chart below from the Global Handwashing Partnership shows how hand-washing is considered one of the MOST COST-EFFECTIVE interventions for lessening deaths and disability:

Chart via Global Handwashing Partnership blog.

By decreasing diarrhea and acute respiratory infection frequency, hand-washing lessens death rate of children, missed school days for children, malnutrition, and delayed growth of children. Remarkably, research shows hand-washing promotion remains effective even years after a program finishes as folks continue the new habits, and it seems to be self-promoting as others in a community pick up the habit.

Hand-washing promotion isn't only cost-effective, it likely makes money many-fold for societies by avoiding costs of illness and maintaining children's health.

--Timothy Malia, MD
Medical Director & Co-Founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children

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Kip Keino: A Star In Many Ways

Many of us are halfway through the Olympic Games -- cheering on our favorites and celebrating the medals given to the impressive athletes excelling at their sport. But today is also International Youth Day, and last week the Olympics presented a special award to someone whose life has impacted hundreds of children.

Kipchoge Keino won two gold medals and two silver medals at the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games, breaking track world records and becoming an international star almost overnight. His most important work didn't start until he retired in 1973, when he returned home to Kenya and began working with children to provide them with greater access to education and opportunities.

Kip Keino with the orphans he raises in Kenya, via CNN

With his wife, philanthropist and nurse Phyllis Keino, Keino began an orphanage for children in Kenya, which later led to the creation of schools to provide them and other children with an education. Now, he also runs a training center for students who want to become athletes, in addition to the schools and orphanage.

Keino's work has impacted hundreds of children, and the Olympics Laurel award is sharing his work with the world.

In this video, listen to his story as he reminds us that "this is the thing we need, to be able to assist those needed children in our society, we need to build this world to be a better world."

The Olympics show us how our athletes are not just competitors. They can change the world. And someday, some of these children will become our Olympians, and will change our children's world.

Today, on International Youth Day, let us honor Kip Keino, whose work is empowering children to become our future Olympians, leaders, and heroes.

--Mackenzie Malia
AAVia Foundation Co-Founder & President

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Happy World Water Day!

Water is a vital part of our lives. It's there when we brush our teeth, wash dishes, grab a quick drink, and hose the lawn. But for many children in rural regions of Bolivia, it's hard to find access to clean water, and even harder to stay healthy when the only available water is contaminated.

Yesterday we celebrated World Water Day, a day to remember the importance of water in our lives, and learn how we can help others access water. For the AAVia Foundation, this day reminds us to be grateful for the water that we have here in the United States.

So, what can we do to help Bolivian children have access to clean water?

A child practices hand-washing in Ancocagua, Bolivia. Photo by Nia Haf Photography

The AAVia Foundation is proud to support Clean Hands, Healthy Schools, a hand and dental hygiene program run by the School of Nursing at Pucarani, Bolivia. Led by 50 of the nursing students and their instructors, the program teaches elementary school children about the importance of using clean water, washing their hands, and brushing their teeth.

Clean Hands, Healthy Schools gives these children valuable knowledge that helps them prevent basic illnesses throughout the rest of their lives. The lessons include:

• How to sterilize water for use
• When to wash hands
• Hand-washing methods
• How to brush teeth
• How to use hand sanitizer
• When to use nail clippers

As well as hand-washing practice with the nursing students, and follow up visits to ensure that the lessons are being implemented by the children and their families.

A nursing student helps a child wash hands in Cohana, Bolivia. Photo by Nia Haf Photography

In 2015 Clean Hands, Healthy Schools worked with 10 elementary schools, teaching over 500 children while also providing the same education to their teachers, parents, and village leaders. In 2016, this will continue to grow to reach more schools and more children.

Each one of the children receives a pack of supplies to help them continue their healthy habits: a bar of soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a hand towel, and a pair of nail clippers. Funding from the AAVia Foundation made these packs and various education supplies possible.

Kids in Cohana, Bolivia practice hand-washing. Photo by Nia Haf Photography

We look forward to continuing their work with this incredible program to continue providing this vital education to children. Together, we can give these kids the healthy habits that will change the rest of their lives.

Funding for the Clean Hands, Healthy Schools program is made possible by your tax-deductible donations. Thank you for your support of these children.

--Mackenzie Malia
AAVia Foundation Co-Founder & President

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A Lake Disappears

Once the second largest lake in Bolivia, Lake Poopó is located in west-central Bolivia in the Altiplano mountain region at over 12,000 feet above sea level. Fed by mountain runoff from the Andes, the beautiful lake supported the region's fishing economy, especially for the several thousand people living in several nearby villages.

In December 2015, Lake Poopó was declared officially dried and is now considered a lakebed. Lakes dry up for numerous reasons: climate change, geological changes in the region, and human activities can all alter bodies of water. Tributaries change course over time and slowly stop feeding into a lake. Water is diverted by companies for industrial use. Mountain runoff diminishes and provides less water to keep the lake full. In the case of Lake Poopó, there appears to be a combination of factors.

The lake in April 2013 (left) and January 2016 (right), via nytimes.com

Regardless of the reasons, the loss of Lake Poopó changes the lives of the people who live in the region. Already struggling as the lake had diminished over the past decade, the nearby villages are losing inhabitants as many decide to leave and make a new life somewhere else.

The lake could return (as it did after drying up in 1994) but thousands of people are still being displaced, especially the families of fishermen who depended on the lake's resources for their livelihood.

Fisherman Rene Valero stands in his boat in the Poopó lakebed, via reuters.com

The Poopó lakebed will become a new landmark over time, becoming a part of the Bolivian landscape just as the lake had been for so many decades. As the nearby families relocate and find new ways to survive, local NGOs are already assisting in various ways. Their work reminds us that even as circumstances and geography change, we must continue to help each other. It will take time, but with support and resources, displaced families can build new lives.

--Mackenzie Malia
AAVia Foundation Co-Founder & President

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Ask AAVia Anything

Join us in Bolivia!

The AAVia Foundation team leaves for Bolivia in four days. We are excited to see Bolivia once more, and we want to bring our friends and supporters.

Now YOU can come with us, without a plane ticket!

We're taking your questions about Bolivia, the AAVia Foundation, our partners there ... or anything you want to know about the trip.

While there, we'll find the answers and post them online during and after our travels.

Do you wonder about the origins of the Pucarani Nursing School?
Curious about what kinds of fruit are sold in the markets of La Paz?
Interested in how it feels to breathe at 13,000 ft altitude?
Want to know how infants are referred to the neonatal unit at Hospital Juan XXIII?

No matter what questions you have, we want to answer them. Write a comment below. Send us messages through email or on our website. Post on our Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

See you in Bolivia,

Mackenzie Malia
President & Co-founder
AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children

Bolivia Needs a Bigger Boat

Give a man a fish, feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.

--Chinese proverb

I've become amazed how often people refer to that famous proverb after we explain the goals and efforts of the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children.

Typically, we acknowledge the point and move on. But, honestly, it's never felt exactly right.

It was this year's Shark Week that helped me understand what was missing from the idea. Shark Week is an annual summer "event" when Discovery, an American cable TV station, has a week of shark-based programming.

Included in that week of programming is the classic film Jaws. The famous scene when the three protagonists are on the boat looking for the great white shark which had menaced the summer beaches completed in my mind what the AAVia Foundation is doing.

You're gonna need a bigger boat.

--Police chief Brody in "Jaws"

On that boat were three men with a lot of motivation, knowledge and experience -- a very powerful skill set for a team to possess. Nevertheless, police chief Brody, marine biologist Hooper, and grizzled old fisherman Quint were lacking one thing: a boat sufficient for the challenge of beating that shark.

And so it is for our efforts in Bolivia!

We know people with motivation, knowledge and experience working hard for children's health in Bolivia. In so many important ways, they do not need us to teach them anything -- they already know "how to fish." They also understand how great their challenges are to improve the health of Bolivian children.

What they need is a bigger boat in the form of funding and equipment that is lacking in their resource-poor environment.

And that is why we are doing what we do.

--Timothy Malia, MD
Co-founder & Vice President, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children
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Say Ireland ... Think Bolivia

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May green beer and corned beef brighten your day.

May our Irish heritage and jilty tunes filled with bodhran and flutes warm your heart.

May happy tales and words of affection for all you love fill the air on this day we celebrate that snake-banishing, Welsh-born saint we call Patrick!

On this special Irish day, however, I have one request:

When you say, "Ireland," just think, "Bolivia."

This, of course, is a play on a scene in Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid where Butch, the man with ideas, explains why he and the Kid should go to Bolivia. He describes the rich mines and all the wealth they could collect with their bank robbing skills. Comparing Bolivia to the old Gold Rush in California, Butch ultimately says:

So when I say, "Bolivia," you just think, "California."

I trade California and Ireland for one simple reason. Bolivia and Ireland share histories with similar struggles, influences, and high points.

• Both are physically isolated geographically. Bolivia by mountains and its landlocked modern borders. Ireland by the sea.

• Both influenced the world during Europe's Dark Ages. Bolivia with the Tiwanaku culture. Ireland with its monasteries, monks and scribes who kept copies of the great books of antiquity and later re-spread Christianity through Europe.

• Both have often been invaded by foreign powers. Bolivia with the Huari, the Inca, and later the Spanish. Ireland with the Romans, the Vikings, and later the English.

• Both suffered through centuries of poverty while a small number of people, often foreigners, gained wealth from control of the land and resources.

• Both were affected by periods of massive death bordering on genocide. Bolivian natives dying of smallpox, cholera and other Old World diseases, and later working in the silver mines, after the Spanish arrived. The Irish through the Great Famine of the mid-nineteenth century.

• Both have seen a significant emigration of its young and talented looking for opportunities abroad over the years.

• Both cling to their traditional languages while trying to forge ahead in the modern world. Bolivia with Aymara and Quechua. Ireland with Gaelic. 

Yet their histories do differ in many ways today. Ireland has done well this past century -- its economy is secure, children are educated, health care excellent. Bolivia on the other hand still struggles --  its economy is weak, it struggles with narco-traffickers, its children often work rather than attend school, and the medical system is impoverished (only $235 per person per year on health care).

So today, while celebrating St. Patrick's Day, you may raise a glass in cheer for Ireland, or shed a tear when hearing Danny Boy, or share special moments with family and friends, but please also pause and remember Bolivia, the kindred spirit of Ireland!

We are working to make a better future for Bolivian children. Support our efforts with a donation to the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children. Then pass the word so others can understand the history and the need.

We are getting started and your help so far has given us the footing we need. Word is coming soon for projects on the ground in Bolivia -- and you'll be to thank for them.

Slainte!
--Tim

Timothy Malia, MD
Co-Founder & Vice President
AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children
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Caring for the Kids of Prisoners

Program providing medical care for small children living in 

prison with their mothers in La Paz, Bolivia needs new funding.

Obrajes is a nice section of La Paz, Bolivia. It's not too far from downtown, has a nice mix of businesses and restaurants, and enjoys milder weather than much of the city due to its lower altitude. So it may be a surprise to have a women's prison in the neighborhood, yet that is where you will find COF (Centro de Orientacion Feminina Obrajes).

The street view of the prison is nondescript other than the sign on the wall identifying it and the metal door answered by uniformed police. A former school, the property behind the wall has a central building from that earlier era surrounded by newer structures and shacks crowding the space.

Also behind that wall are over a hundred children living with their mothers. And, I learned, a health program for those kids in need of support and new funding -- you can help! (keep reading to learn how)

A couple weeks ago, I joined Dr. Sergio Armaza Virreira and Dra. Jimena Condori Surco from the mobile medical unit of Hospital Arco Iris on a stop at the prison. It was one of many visits and tours I made during the ten-day long official visit to La Paz for the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children.


Making weekly visits to the prison, the mobile medical unit provides care for the children who live there, most under the age of five, who do not get medical services from the prison system. It is programs like the Hospital Arco Iris mobile medical unit that serve the needs of the kids.

Famously overcrowded and with decaying infrastructure, Bolivian prisons are also known for the high number of children living within their walls. The women's prison in Obrajes is no different. Designed to hold about 100 prisoners, the facility actually holds about three times that currently -- plus another 120 kids!

Entering the prison for the visit, I handed over my passport, was patted down, and entered a courtyard crowded with women and children. Some prisoners were doing some morning calisthenics, others were chatting in small groups, and many sat in chairs along the periphery. About a quarter of the facility is another courtyard where laundry hangs from wires, drying in the sun -- a service the women do for the public to make money to pay for what they eat and own while in the prison.

We made our way into the main building where the medical team met with prison officials to discuss how the financial support the program had been receiving is not being renewed. The team, however, reported they would continue visiting the prison each Wednesday to care for the kids even while funding opportunities were searched for.

This prison program is one part of what the mobile medical unit team from Hospital Arco Iris do, but its funding is separate. The mobile medical units provide free medical care for La Paz' street kids and poor when parked by plazas and markets. When special care is needed, the patients are served at Hospital Arco Iris, a private charity center that is now perhaps the best hospital in all of La Paz.

The children in the prisons get the same free care both on-site and at the hospital when needed. Visiting the prison weekly, the mobile medical unit provides continuity of care and  timely services before problems become severe. There were many smiles and happy conversations between the doctors, the women and many of the children during our visit -- evidence of the trust and respect these doctors have developed in the prison.

At this time, the prison program is not formally part of our plans at the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children. But it is a good program in need of support, and promoting such efforts is part of our mission, even if the support is not directly through us.

I wish to vouch for the prison program and the efforts of the doctors, colleagues I am happy to now call friends. And I also wish to offer you a way to support their efforts with a tax-deductible gift.

HOPEworldwide-Bolivia has been working closely with Hospital Arco Iris for the last three years and is focused on pragmatic efforts that have a positive effect on real lives. Having been in touch with them for many months, we formally visited them during our trip to La Paz and appreciate their efforts to improve health care in Bolivia. Our two organizations are truly kindred spirits!

Please take a minute and go to the DONATION page for HOPEworldwide-Bolivia. Their country director has assured me that funds will be directed to this effort when the Comments section says "Prison Program" (see middle of the donation page and "Additional Information"). Then please let others know of this need and opportunity.

There is a very capable program on the ground in La Paz offering care to children who need it. That program has capable doctors and staff, and it has a proven track record. Your support with funding will have immediate impact.

Thank you!

--Timothy Malia, MD
VP & Co-Founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children

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Why Bolivia? Sutton's Law in Action!

When I supervise medical students or resident physicians, I always discuss with them the fundamental truth behind what we do as doctors:

There are only two reasons a patient comes to a doctor: they have pain or fear, or both.

Providing a neutral perspective for a patient's needs, this truth offers doctors a mindful way to maintain compassion and empathy even when fatigued or struggling with a difficult patient interaction.

When one steps back and considers the statement it may seem obvious. And thus it can be an example of Sutton's Law.

Willie Sutton, a famous twentieth-century American bank robber, when asked why he robbed banks, reportedly said:

"Because that's where the money is!"

The reply stated the obvious, and with that came Sutton's Law, an idea now central to medical training and referenced throughout the social sciences -- when assessing a problem, first consider the obvious, and test to confirm or rule that out before considering more esoteric and less likely diagnoses.

Thus Sutton's Law can explain why the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children needs your help.

Bolivia, like the banks robbed by Willie Sutton, is where the "money" is, or rather where the pain and fear for patients is abundant.

Work we support in Bolivia is to lessen the pain and fear that patients and families may have. Being the poorest country in South America means Bolivia has limited resources for medical care, so there is a lot of pain to ease and fear to settle.

Next month, the AAVia Foundation will have a team in La Paz to study the work being done there and the opportunities for Americans to help.

Please help us in this effort.

Joining us on the foundation's Facebook page means you can easily follow the exciting efforts we have planned.

And your donations will empower the foundation in its work.

Consider our trip in January as us casing the bank so we can rob Bolivian's of their pain and fear.

Willie Sutton lives -- and we are him!

--Timothy Malia, MD
Co-founder and Vice President of the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children
December 16, 2013

Mountains & Forests, Sand & Salt: Bolivia's Natural Beauty

At the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children, we often point out challenges faced by impoverished Bolivian children needing medical care. And we support our colleague starting a center for infants and children with colo-rectal problems who need high-level care or face life-long risk of problems and complications. But there is a lot more to Bolivia than poverty and barriers to medical care.

On a map, Bolivia looks small because it borders Brazil, one of the world's largest countries, but Bolivia is actually as big as the states of Texas and California combined! And Bolivia has remarkable diversity: Amazonian rain forests; savannas; mountain valleys; high peaks; Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake; and even the world's largest salt flat which lies remotely at 12,000 ft (3600 m) elevation!

This tourism clip from Bolivia is worth a watch if you want to get a taste of the land's and its people's majesty. Enjoy.

And, remember, "Bolivia ¡te espera!"

--Timothy Malia, MD
Co-founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children
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Can Technology Help Bolivian Patient-Doctor Relationship?

Where does trust, communication, accountability--and technology--fit in the AAVia journey?

Medical care depends on trust, communication and accountability as those attributes support the relationship between patient and provider. This remains as true today as in ancient Greece when Hippocrates (460BC-370BC) established the early foundation of modern medicine.

Technology, however, adds another factor to the equation today. When used well, it leverages information so patient and provider can make good decisions and monitor care to improve health. But the risk remains that technology can be a barrier between the two parties, or replace one of the three primary attributes--in either case, a grave error.

A new medical technology should only be part of care if it improves the patient-doctor relationship and is both easy to use and effective.

I just learned of  a non-invasive test (that is, no poke or needle stick to get blood) that rapidly checks for anemia and may pass muster for the above criteria. It is designed to be reasonable for use in poor, rural, under-developed areas of the world.

I read an interview with the lead researcher, Myshkin Ingawale, on the TED blog and then watched the related TED video.

The new portable technology (ToucHb) would allow community health workers to assess patients for anemia, help them get proper care, and then monitor if the treatment is working. Since the test is non-invasive, patients do not have to fear pain or bleeding.

It would support the trust patients have for a community health worker, facilitate communication about anemia and the treatments, and allow for accountability as treatment effectiveness can be documented.

I don't know if the ToucHb itself will ever play a part in the efforts of the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children; but I can say our inaugural project depends on properly balancing modern technology with proper medical care based on a strong patient-doctor relationship.

Our Bolivian partner, Dr. Edwin Dolz, is a pediatric surgeon who is establishing the Centro Nacional de Patología Colorectal Pediátrica in the Hospital Arco Iris, a charity hospital in La Paz, Bolivia.

The goal for the center is to provide excellent medical assessment and treatment, including skilled surgical care using appropriate medical technology when needed, for children having severe intestinal problems. When an infant or young child has Hirschsprung's Disease or congenital colon malformations, they and their families suffer greatly without proper medical care. But the cost of care is a barrier for impoverished Bolivian families; thus leading to long-term health complications for the child, and greater stress for the family.

With our support, children will have access to both medical technology and better health otherwise unavailable to them--and the trust, communication, and accountability between our Bolivian partners and their patients will be ever stronger!

--Timothy Malia, MD
Co-founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children
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Highlights for December 2012

This past month has been filled with new, wonderful things for the AAVia Foundation! In future posts I will be sharing more details and information, but for now, the highlights:

• We returned from a trip to Bolivia, where we had the opportunity to speak with doctors, nurses, parents, and children about the help that is needed.

• We started our Holiday Donation Drive, with a $15,000 goal, and have already raised several thousand!

• We began this blog, which will become our place to talk with you about the foundation, Bolivia, and how all of us can make a difference.

• Last but not least, we have added lots of new material to our website, including Pictures and more information about Our Project.

Our Facebook and Twitter pages have day-to-day updates, and our YouTube channel will have new videos soon. Join us on any of these sites to keep following the AAVia journey!

-Mackenzie Malia
Co-Founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children

Our Blog: Warm in December, Cold in June

Welcome to the first blog post for the AAVia Foundation. We look forward to posting about our activities, stories of our experiences, news reports, updates from our Bolivian partners, and whatever else we can imagine. Our hope is this will help readers better understand our motivation to support efforts in Bolivia for children's health.

Today, however, I wish to point to great poetry, specifically Robert Frost (1874-1963) and a poem he wrote about one hundred years ago, The Mountain (1915). 

Frost was a Pulitzer Prize winner and the first poet asked to read at a presidential inauguration when John Kennedy invited him in 1960. He used his life in New England to color his poetry with natural world imagery and colloquial speech which related to common-man life both literally and metaphorically. His work is a major part of how rural American life of the early twentieth century will forever be remembered.

While most may recall Frost's poem The Road Not Taken ("Two roads diverged in a yellow wood ... I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."), we were drawn to The Mountain and from it found the name of our blog: Warm in December, Cold in June, as it reflects where we are and where we hope to go.

In the poem, a man is visiting a town which sits in the shadow of a mountain. As he hikes toward the mountain he meets a local farmer who is walking with an ox and cart. The conversation which follows relates how the mountain's size limits the growth of the town and that there are stories of a spring at the top which is "almost like a fountain," and which feeds a brook that flows down the mountain. The brook is storied as being "always cold in summer, warm in winter." The old man, though he has lived there a long time, has never climbed the mountain or seen the spring but he encourages the visitor to consider ways to climb the summit.

Later, the visitor tries to learn more about the brook and the water's temperature when he asks:

"Warm in December, cold in June, you say?"

And the old man replies (with what I imagine is a slow, heavy rural New England accent and dry humor):

"I don't suppose the water's changed at all.

You and I know enough to know it's warm

Compared with cold, and cold compared with warm.

But all the fun's in how you say a thing"

.
The poem winds down with no finality as the farmer turns to continue walking with his ox and cart. We never know if the visitor hikes the mountain finding the brook and its spring, or simply returns to the town where he started.

So goes life. We travel, sometimes to places that are "held in the shadow" of something grand like a mountain. We meet locals who encourage us to hike and explore new places. We ask questions and learn from the locals, understanding more of their past and possibilities for the future. But those possibilities are never certain and the reality that will unfold is only determined by what we choose to do next.

That defines the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children at this juncture. 

Bolivia lies in the southern hemisphere where, yes, the weather is warmer in December and colder in June. The peaks of the Andes Mountains dominate the geography. And we are learning from the locals so we may understand possibilities and choose our actions to better shape the future as we all climb the summit which lies before us.

--Timothy Malia, MD

Co-founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children

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