\u201cWe tend to challenge assumptions<\/a>,\u201d Loney says, \u201cso we had Jhon Alex reexamined by our doctors in Cochabamba and learned that there was no physical reason that he could not walk. With our physical therapist and the rest of our team, we started an intensive therapy schedule, including teaching the exercises to his mother to double up on his therapy. We prayed that it was just the lack of muscle development that prevented him from walking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After six months, Jhon Alex was able to stand and walk 20 feet on his own. Today he is still developing his motor skills, but \u201cnow he smiles as he walks, and his mother has regained her faith that a better tomorrow can be achieved,\u201d Loney says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a recent visit to the Mu\u00f1oz home, Do\u00f1a Benita proudly showed off a newly rebuilt part of the house that Siles and Loney\u2019s nonprofit had helped make possible. While Willy Garc\u00eda, a nurse, worked with Jhon Alex, Loney reviewed Jairo\u2019s homeschool notebooks and Siles discussed with Do\u00f1a Benita a plan to earn more income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jhon Alex and Jairo are just two of the 770 people \u2014 90 adults, 180 children and youth and 500 older adults \u2014 who are benefitting from the services of the Social Justice Foundation<\/a>. The Cochabamba-based nonprofit was started in 2016 by Loney and Siles as a ministry of Maryknoll Lay Missioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt the Social Justice Foundation, our vision is that people with disabilities will enjoy a life that is full and complete and that allows them to reach their maximum human potential,\u201d Loney says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur program is based on the community-based rehabilitation<\/a> strategy,\u201d Siles adds. \u201cWe focus on four components: health, education, social inclusion and economic sustenance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Social Justice Foundation has its offices on the campus of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers center<\/a> in Cochabamba. Besides Loney and Siles, it employs nine people \u2014 a physical therapist, educators, community organizers, a nurse, a psychologist and support staff. Some are based in Cochabamba and others in the two rural communities where the organization works: Tacopaya<\/a>, high up in the Andes, three and a half hours to the west, and Entre R\u00edos<\/a>, in the tropics, about six hours to the east. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tacopaya is a remote, spread-out municipality of almost 100 Quechua indigenous villages<\/a> on the slopes of the Andes \u2014 some at altitudes exceeding 13,000 feet. Getting there requires navigating steep dirt and gravel roads that are often washed out and impassable during the rainy season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the Tacopaya area has been losing population as younger people move to Cochabamba or other cities, the population of Entre R\u00edos is growing fast and includes a large influx of poor immigrants. These tropical lowlands are characterized by rain, lush vegetation and agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In both regions, the team collaborates with people with disabilities and their families and neighbors, as well as with municipal authorities. Team members go to the schools to help teachers make their classrooms more inclusive and integrate students with disabilities. They supplement classroom learning by visiting students\u2019 homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The team also consults with hospitals and clinics. As a result of their efforts, for example, the municipal government of Entre R\u00edos recently added new integral health assessments for children entering kindergarten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early detection helps address the needs of children with disabilities at an earlier age, giving them more opportunities for intervention and rehabilitation. In workshops with parents, the nonprofit promotes prenatal and infant care, which can greatly reduce the prevalence of disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Social Justice Foundation also organizes support groups for the elderly<\/a>. Meetings include medical check-ups, physical therapy sessions, eye exams and health information for aging adults. Participants are provided good nutrition as well as eyeglasses, mobility aids and access to vital social services. Gatherings include traditional Andean music and dancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year the program was expanded to offer home repairs and greenhouses to grow fresh vegetables. All activities are oriented to helping older adults remain independent, maintaining their dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Loney, Siles and their staff also support people with disabilities and their families with economic sustenance initiatives. Thanks to their efforts, a visually impaired young father in Tacopaya now keeps beehives and sells honey. In Entre R\u00edos, a deaf young man has set up a car and motorcycle washing business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the nonprofit\u2019s largest livelihood initiatives was spearheading a collaborative project to restore a reliable water supply<\/a> to a remote Andean community in mountainous Tacopaya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every year, for Bolivia\u2019s National Day of the Person with Disabilities on Oct. 15, the Social Justice Foundation organizes a celebration in Entre R\u00edos with games, food, traditional dances<\/a> and other activities. Loney explains that the event conveys a message: \u201cDespite all the hardships people with disabilities face in their daily lives, life is worth living.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The celebration keeps growing each year to involve not just people with disabilities and their families but also the local school, government and community leaders. \u201cPeople with disabilities are worthy of having a public platform,\u201d Loney says. \u201cThey\u2019re worthy of having a place where others can see and celebrate with them, and a public event like this helps to promote their social inclusion and gives them hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event leads to new connections as more people approach the team about a son, daughter, other relative or neighbor who has a disability and would benefit from the organization\u2019s services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur first years, the celebrations were pretty small and the families were quite shy. The parents were somewhat embarrassed to bring their children,\u201d Siles recalls. \u201cBut each year, participation has grown and become more enthusiastic. At our most recent one, I noticed a big change, especially with the boys in the traditional dancing. It was great to see the happiness on their faces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t have imagined the evolution of this ministry when we started eight years ago with pretty much nothing,\u201d Loney says. \u201cWe now serve many people, and I hope that God allows us to serve many more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Maryknoll](\"http:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/26-31-Joe-Filo-Loney-1-768x432-1.jpg\")
![\"During](\"http:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/26-31-Joe-Filo-Loney-2-768x720-1.jpg\")
![\"Siles](\"http:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/26-31-Joe-Filo-Loney-3-768x768-1.jpg\")