PICTURES FROMTHE FIELD.

We are currently continuing our journey through the Chiquitania, visiting other remote villages and communities. As soon as we can, we will share more about these recent journeys.

But first, a few images from one of the villages we recently visited in the area around Concepción.

Getting there was quite a journey! The roads were in very poor condition, with countless deep potholes and some challenging stretches. But these are exactly the communities we want to continue reaching. These are places that are easily overlooked simply because they are so far away and where access to medical care is often very limited.

This time, our team was joined for the first time by Maria, a Finnish missionary nurse who is the youngest of six children of one of my dearest friends here in Bolivia. He sadly passed away from leukemia less than a year ago. Having Maria with us made this mission particularly special and meaningful.

We encountered various tropical diseases and a wide range of other medical conditions, and were able to provide medical consultations, medicines and practical care. Just as important were the personal encounters, taking time to listen, encourage and show people that they are seen and cared for.

Reaching these remote communities is a privilege, but it also comes with considerable costs. Doctors On Mission covers the transportation, medicines, medical supplies, local doctors and logistics needed for these journeys. These days, finding the necessary funds is especially challenging.

But after every long and bumpy road, we are reminded why we keep going: to bring medical care where access is limited and to let people know they have not been forgotten.

Thank you to everyone who helps make this work possible.

With love and gratitude from Bolivia, Dr. Rik & Carolien Celie

Over the past few days, we have been working with our dedicated Bolivian medical team in northeastern Bolivia, visiting remote communities that are difficult to reach and where medical care is greatly needed. The roads were challenging, and the journey took a great deal of time and effort. But as always, every kilometer was worth it.

In the small community of Palmerito, we brought many children a few hours filled with face painting, laughter and joy. At the same time, our Bolivian doctors examined and treated many people suffering from illness, pain and other medical problems. A smiling child. A patient who finally receives care. A family that knows they have not been forgotten. These may seem like small moments, but they mean so much.

All medical consultations, treatments and activities were provided completely free of charge.

In the coming days, we will continue our journey to other remote communities. We look forward to sharing more of this journey with you. With your support, we can continue bringing care, dignity and hope to those who need it most.

Thank you so much for walking this road with us.

Rik & Carolien Celie

Behind every village name is a life changed, a family helped, and a community given hope, as written in my previous post.

Since 1990, thanks to your faithful support, we have been privileged to make a difference wherever the need is greatest — among persecuted minorities in Pakistan, after disasters in the Philippines and Haiti, and today in the remote Andes, the Amazon, and the Chaco region of Bolivia near Paraguay.

Whether the need arises from extreme poverty or the aftermath of natural disasters, our mission remains the same: to bring compassionate medical care, hope and love.

Thank you for standing with us and making this work possible through your generosity.

Dr. Rik & Carolien Celie

Not everyone can change the world, but together we can change someone's world. Sometimes the smallest gesture becomes the greatest miracle — a consultation, a bandage, medicine, or simply a caring hand.

During this medical expedition, our team reached some of the poorest and most remote communities in Bolivia, bringing care, hope, and compassion to those who often have no access to healthcare.

Beyond medical care, we also use creativity and face painting to help children feel safe, smile again, and overcome their fear of doctors and dentists. A painted face may seem small, but it often opens the door to trust, courage, and healing.

Thank you to everyone who helps make these moments possible. Together, we are changing lives — one child, one smile, and one act of kindness at a time.

With love, Dr. Rik & Carolien Celie

In remote areas of Bolivia, people are still dying from illnesses that are often straightforward to treat with timely medical care. Eugenia's husband was one of them. He died of pneumonia just one day before our medical team arrived, without ever seeing a doctor.

When Eugenia came to us, quite ill with a high fever, we were able to treat her in time, and she survived. But her story raises a painful question: how many more lives could be saved before it is too late, if this medical care reached everyone who needs it?

With your support, we can bring essential healthcare to communities that would otherwise go without. Together, we can ensure that fewer families have to endure preventable loss, and that more people, like Eugenia, get a second chance at life.

Dr. Rik & Carolien Celie

Climate change is hitting Bolivia hard. Severe drought in the Andes. Fires in the Amazon, and massive mudslides with collapsed bridges in the sub-Andean regions. Entire villages have been cut off from the outside world. Families are losing their homes, their security — sometimes even their lives.

Yet our Doctors On Mission team reached some of these communities. Together with our dedicated Bolivian colleagues, we provided essential medical care where it was needed most and brought hope to places at risk of being forgotten. We may be a small organization, but we go where help is hardest to reach.

Thank you to everyone who makes this all possible.

In solidarity, Dr. Rik & Carolien and our Doctors On Mission team

Dr. Rik is back on the road with our dedicated team. Where the world rarely reaches, suffering is often silent. High in the remote Andes, families live without doctors, safe roads, or security. Hardship and endurance are their daily reality. Yet every visit brings medical care, dignity, and hope to the poorest and most forgotten.

Your support makes these missions possible. Every donation helps carry medicine across mountains, delivers life-saving care to children and elders, and ensures that no one is left unseen or unheard. Together, we can turn isolation into hope — and silence into healing.

Dr. Rik & Carolien Celie

This October, our faithful Bolivian Doctors on Mission team once again set out before dawn, with hearts full of compassion and hope to bring transformation.

Their destination was 'Puerto Rico' — not the island, but a forgotten suburban community on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where poverty and hardship quietly weigh on daily life. Early in the morning, our team loaded their medical, dental and creative materials, and began their journey with heartwarming determination. Upon arrival, they were welcomed by warm smiles. Through gentle hands and kind words, they brought necessary medical assistance, healing, comfort and creative joy to children, mothers and the elderly.

Each thoughtful gesture became a powerful testament that, even in places where hope seems scarce, compassion and kindness can make a meaningful difference. Together, we can continue to bring hope and care to the most overlooked communities around the globe.

Thank you for your unwavering support, because it ensures that every mission can be accomplished.

With gratitude and love, Dr. Rik & Carolien Celie

No road too rough, no distance too far — compassion always finds a way.

Our Bolivian team continues to work tirelessly, carrying out vital medical missions among the poorest communities of Bolivia. Right now they are serving with dedication in the vast outskirts of Santa Cruz, where countless families face hardship and poverty.

As the city grows rapidly, many people have been pushed into remote neighbourhoods that are difficult to reach. Getting there often means hours of driving over sandy, dusty roads — yet our team goes anyway, because without them these families would have no access to care.

Meanwhile, we remain deeply committed to the many administrative and organisational efforts that keep our medical projects running smoothly. Every effort is made to ensure that the poorest receive the help they so urgently need.

This life-changing work is only possible because of your faithful support. Together, we bring medical care and hope where there was none.

Dr. Rik & Carolien Celie

Dear friends and supporters, with hearts full of gratitude we are delighted to share this update on our mission in the Andes region of Bolivia.

Here in the small community of Yampaparí we are working side by side with our dedicated doctors, dentists, creative team and assistants, to bring care, hope and healing to those in need. Every smile, every hand held, every life touched is a powerful reminder of why this work matters so deeply.

Your support makes it all possible. Together we are fostering love, compassion and opportunities for brighter tomorrows.

With heartfelt greetings, Dr. Rik & Carolien

In the beautiful Andes we were back at work in the small village of Poco-Poco in Potosí, on the border with the Chuquisaca department.

During our previous mission to Bolivia we wanted to reach this village again, but heavy rainstorms and mudslides made it impossible. The road was completely blocked — the entire mountain had shifted.

Today the road near the mountain is still being cleared, but we found an alternative route through the river below. We are happy to be able to bring much-needed medical aid to this community. We invite you to see the impact of our efforts through these images.

With heartfelt wishes, Dr. Rik & Carolien

Love, at its heart, is a spiritual fire — a flame that warms the soul and lights the way. With its glow we journey forward, carrying hope and care to villages too often overlooked.

For, as it is said, "to be forgotten is to die a little." May we never forget: every life, every community, is worthy of being seen, heard and held in the heart.

With love, Dr. Rik & Carolien

Here we are with the promised Amazon update. Near the Brazilian border we continued our mission into the remote communities of the Chiquitanía region, deep in the Bolivian Amazon.

One of the communities we serve is called Gavetita — a small village that stole our hearts long ago. We were grateful to return again and offer support where it was most needed. These encounters are humbling, and they remind us why we do what we do.

Let the photos speak for themselves.

With much gratitude and love, Dr. Rik & Carolien

Hope in action. Earlier this July we returned to our Bolivian medical team in the south-west of Bolivia, near the Paraguayan border, to bring much-needed care to remote villages that are home to descendants of the Guaraní.

Below you will see some photos capturing our team's uplifting efforts.

We are now heading toward the Brazilian border to continue our mission in the remote communities of the Chiquitanía, deep in the Bolivian Amazon. We cannot wait to get started and serve even more families. An update from the Amazon is coming soon.

Dr. Rik & Carolien

These photos from the community in Belén reflect the heartfelt dedication of our DM team in Bolivia. Their steady efforts help ensure that our mission continues, and we are deeply grateful for the love and compassion they show to their own people in need.

Each image is a glimpse into their selfless service and generous hearts. Bless them. We will be heading back soon to join them.

Dr. Rik & Carolien

As we promised, here are some pictures of our team's efforts in the subtropical region of Bolivia.

As always, they keep moving — with us and without us — to bring health, hope and love.

Dr. Rik & Carolien Celie

Meanwhile we arrived in one of the small indigenous villages in the Andes. These photos are from the community of Quirawani.

As always, we were very welcome here. The villagers and their children greeted us warmly and with great kindness. You can see it in the first video, where the children are waiting to have their faces painted after visiting our dentist.

The man with the brown hat suffers from cataract blindness caused by the high UV exposure at these altitudes. It is a common occurrence here. Surgery is needed.

Blessings to all. Dr. Rik & Carolien

We continue to provide medical care in the Chiquitanía region of the Amazon before heading to the Andes. These photos show the work of our team in the small indigenous community of Los Sotos.

Wherever we go, the conditions in these remote villages are much the same, as you can see in the previous posts.

With kind regards and God bless you all, Dr. Rik & Carolien

A fourteen-hour drive from the Guaraní region to La Chiquitanía via Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and our Bolivian DM team and ourselves returned to Yororoba in the Bolivian Amazon.

Medical outreaches are essential here, as there is no healthcare centre and no medicine. It is a matter of concern that even common medications such as paracetamol are not readily available. The nearest professional hospital is a seven-hour drive away.

During our time in this indigenous community we encountered various fungal, parasitic, bacterial and viral infections, and successfully treated open wounds that could easily have led to gangrene. That is deadly without proper care. We will continue to provide medical care in this area.

P.S. From experience, I cannot post close-up pictures of infections or wounds, because I will be blocked.

Dr. Rik & Carolien

We continued our medical work in the Guaraní region, also known as the Bolivian Chaco.

It is astonishing to see at first hand that these indigenous villages — like many others in the Amazon and the Andes — have little or no access to health care and medicines.

Your generous donation means the world to them. Your support is vital to the continuation of our work and the success of our mission.

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts. Dr. Rik, Carolien and our entire DM team

Having left our footprints in the Bolivian Andes, we continued our medical outreach toward the small villages of Urundaiti and Ipaty in the Guaraní region, the Bolivian Chaco.

As always, we first had to stop in one of Bolivia's few large cities to replenish our supplies of medicine, take care of logistics and service the DM vehicles.

In this post you will see some of the work done in the first community.

Thanks for all your support. Dr. Rik & Carolien