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Bolivia

Lenten Meal Series

Spotlight on Bolivia

Population: 9,929,849 (2010)
Literacy rate: 91%
Poverty rate: 51% of total population

Printable Table Tent

Download and print this table tent, designed for the Bolivia meal. This table tent includes conversation starters and information about your gifts to ELCA World Hunger in action.

Placemats

Download, print and use different placemats during your Lenten meals to raise awareness about hunger, poverty and related issues.

Table Prayer

O God: To those who hunger, give bread. And to those who have bread, give the hunger for justice. Amen.

Story: Pascual
Pascual had an idea to make a living and escape poverty — he just needed a small start- up loan to get his business started. But no bank or lending institution would consider lending him money. That is when the Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church stepped in to help. The church’s microloan initiative, supported by your gifts to ELCA World Hunger, provides loans to men and women in Bolivia whose incomes are too low to qualify for a traditional bank loan.
Read the full story.

Download this story: PDF | DOC

Local Recipes

Popular foods in Bolivia include plato paceño (La Paz typical dish), chario paceño (vegetable and meat stew) and picante de pollo (spicy chicken). Try these dishes and experience a taste of Bolivia.

Skip the Coffee. Feed the Hungry.

Many are familiar with the tradition of giving something up during Lent. Last year, Pastor Steve Biegner of Zion Lutheran Church in Clarence Center, N.Y., decided to add something to his Lenten tradition. For 40 days, he stopped drinking coffee. And in its place, he gave whatever money he normally spent to support ELCA World Hunger.

“What does giving up coffee have to do with my relationship with God?” Pastor Steve asked. “Nothing. But focusing on the problem of hunger does. It helps ‘enlighten my eye’ to the ongoing problem.”

He placed a large, empty pickle jar outside the sanctuary of his church and asked others to join him. Each day, members of the congregation would sacrifice their favorite morning beverage and save the money they would have spent. By Easter Sunday, the pickle jar was full of donations to help end hunger and poverty.