Back to Bolivia for Richard and Michelle

Richard and Michelle Knight, who have been Plan sponsors for 10 years, are used to travelling in South America and they have been many times. But their recent journey to see their sponsored child, Demetrio, in Bolivia, often left them lost for words.

"We set off early in the morning, and the first thing that struck us was how remote it was," explained Richard. "There was a sense of remoteness. We drove for three hours, and barely passed through a town.

"We were on a rough track and thereafter on something struggling to be a track. Then we reached Demetrio’s village – well it’s more of a settlement. It was a few, lonely, single-story habitations lost in a gigantic landscape.

"There is a beauty, but it is a fairly cruel, inescapable place. It was overwhelming in its cruelty, despite this beautiful façade. If you are actually living here, with no amenities, you just think – how?"

Demetrio joined the 60 or so families in the village to welcome the couple. "We were obviously news," said Richard, "as they seemed to have been waiting for ages" 

Richard and Michelle started sponsoring Demetrio just over two years ago, and were delighted to be able to go and visit his home, which was another 2km away from the village. It was while there they learnt that Demetrio’s father was seriously ill and, "the whole thing became very emotional."

After lunch, Richard and Michelle handed over some gifts they had bought and enjoyed "the best phase" of being with the family. "We had been through an hour of tight emotions and it was then good to laugh," said Richard.

"We had great fun teaching Demetrio how to play frisbee," said Michelle, "although he was soon much better than us, particularly because of the altitude."

They soon returned to the village for a home-grown fiesta. "We were covered with confetti and given garlands of bread rolls to wear by his mother, and the village authorities then added their own garlands of raw potatoes for us to wear as well. There was much dancing, music, flag-waving and ceremonial chichi drinking."

After speeches and farewells it was then time to leave, leaving Richard and Michelle to reflect on an incredible day. "It was fantastic to see what Plan is doing for this country," said Richard. "Plan really is there throughout the country, trying to improve the lot of the huge percentage of Bolivians living below the poverty line."