In the House of Friendship

Casa de la Amistad—House of Friendship—is a welcome change for about 140 Bolivian children aged 4 to 18. They are happy to participate in a program that offers them two meals a day, lessons and time to play with other kids in a safe environment.

“Bolivia is one of the only countries in the world where the kids live in the jails,” explains Renae Regehr. Renae and her husband Tyler are service workers with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Bolivia doing social work in the prisons in and around Cochabamba in conjunction with MCC’s partner organization, Obades (Baptist Development Organization), a Bolivian nongovernmental organization.

Bolivia doesn’t have the social safety net that many western countries do, so children must either live with their parents in prison, where the parents are expected to provide for them, or live on the street if there are no family members for them to stay with.

The Regehrs work with children coming from the San Sebastian Varones and San Antonio men’s prisons, and San Sebastian Mujers women’s prison. The prisons in Bolivia are very different than those in Canada, Renae says. In the prison courtyards, inmates sell various wares and food, and do laundry to supplement the 80 cents a day they are given, which goes to the prison administration for meals or additional needs such as soap, clothes or books.

Bolivian prisons are also very overcrowded, according to Renae. At San Sebastian Mujers, 500 women and children live in a facility meant for 300 people and the men’s prison there is no better.

In the Bolivian criminal justice system people will sometimes spend years in prison just waiting for their trial. Some of the people incarcerated are falsely accused or they are facing charges for nonviolent crimes committed in an effort to provide for their families.

Although the Regehrs believe there are some benefits to keeping the families together, the children are often in very unsafe environments, as prisoners—who can range from drug traffickers to rapists and murderers—can sometimes be violent. “I’ve seen kids come in with nasty looking scars on their bodies,” Renae says.

And when these children come to Casa de la Amistad, their attitudes can reflect the chaotic environment they live in. “There are no rules in the prisons,” Renae says. “Kids can do whatever they want. Working with these kids, that’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed.”

This is why the services at Casa de la Amistad are needed, she says. “Education is so important. These children need a safe place to grow, to have fun, and to feel secure. There’s no security in the jail.” She also notes that educational opportunities and social development opportunities improve the children’s quality of life. With better opportunities, they are able to make better life decisions; some have become bakers, vegetable sellers, teachers, doctors and lawyers.

When the children return to their parents in prison, that’s the strangest part of Tyler’s day, he says in an MCC B.C. press release. “I guess seeing young children with their little backpacks on, saying hi to prison guards who all know their names, is a reality that is extremely foreign to people like us coming from a Canadian perspective.”

The Regehrs also help with the Jireh program that provides assistance for children who are at risk because their families are poor. They sometimes also face violence and alcoholism in the home, or they are forced to work on the streets.

Originally from Abbotsford, B.C., Renae spent time at Canadian Mennonite University before attending the University of the Fraser Valley with Tyler. They are both graduates of Mennonite Educational Institute and attend South Abbotsford Mennonite Brethren Church.

They are both planning on going back to university after returning to Canada, Renae to get a master of counselling degree and Tyler to get a teaching degree. After that, they hope to do more international aid work.