Interview with Zoe: Our work in Bolivia

Stretching across parts of the rugged Andes Mountains, Bolivia may be the poorest country in Latin America (where 6 in 10 people live below the poverty line) but it’s a land rich in natural resources and culture.

60% of the population is of indigenous heritage, but the rights of indigenous Bolivians were only recognised around 50 years ago. In 2005 the country’s first indigenous president in over 400 years, Evo Morales, was elected.

Despite the progress being made towards equal rights, children and disabled people continue to be some of the most excluded people in society.

Zoe Hopkins – our Country Director in Bolivia – talks about how International Service is supporting organisations and people in local communities to address the great challenges that still need to be overcome in the fight for equal rights.

Tell us more about the inequalities faced by people in Bolivia

"Around one third of Bolivia’s rural population lacks access to basic services. Remote villages lack electricity, safe water and basic sanitation. Children in rural areas only attend school for an average of 4 years because they have to support their families by working the land, doing housework, or looking after younger siblings. When they manage to attend school, they often have to walk long distances to rundown schools without running water or books.

Disability is often viewed as a curse for previous sins. This view is compounded if a disabled person is unable to work the land. Children who are born with disabilities are often given the least food in the hope they will weaken and die. Health and education services in both rural and urban areas are very poorly equipped – they don’t have the human or financial resources to deal with disability-related issues."

What is International Service doing to overcome inequality and help secure equal rights for all?

"We are focused on progressing children’s rights and disabled people’s rights. We work at different levels of society - from grassroots organisations, to local and national government. At a grassroots level, the idea is to strengthen disabled people’s groups in understanding their rights, and how to lobby authorities to insist their rights are taken into account.

In particular, we are working towards inclusive education and employment opportunities for disabled people. At a national level, we have placed Development Workers with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour – they are working on guiding Ministry staff in ensuring their programmes take people with disabilities into account."

Is it working? What differences have you seen in the past few years?

"Over the last 5 years, it’s as if the disability movement has begun to sit up and be counted. They are forming more organised groups, and demanding that their rights and needs are respected. However, their focus is divided. Many are insisting on government handouts, to replace traditional begging activities. But other groups are more progressive, demanding that disabled people are included in all aspects of society. For the first time ever, the Bolivian government has assigned funding to various Ministries in order to directly address including people with disabilities in their programmes.

In the area of children’s rights, we supported one of our partner organisations (who is working with child labourers) to successfully lobby the government during the writing of its New State Constitution in 2008. We achieved the rewording of an article prohibiting child labour. The reality of Bolivian poverty means that many children have to work in order to support their studies. Often the young people are proud of the contribution they make to their family, and would not benefit from labour being prohibited. The New Constitution now reads: ‘Prohibition of child labour exploitation.’"

What are the next steps for International Service’s work?

"We aim to continue working at grassroots and government levels in order to bridge the communication gaps between the two. This has traditionally prevented marginalised groups from being heard. To foster an informed, educated dialogue between these sectors of society is one of the main strategies of International Service’s work in Bolivia – we are striving to ensure that people with disabilities are at the heart of their own development, and that children’s rights are respected and protected at all levels."

April 2010 saw the city of Cochabamba host the first World People’s Conference on Climate Change.
How is climate change affecting people in Bolivia, and what can their deep respect for ‘Mother Earth’ teach us?

"Conversations with rural farmers reveal that the land is deteriorating in quality and fertility. Every year the rainfall becomes more inconsistent – it will rain only sporadically, and then it will rain intensely. This pattern of flood then drought is destroying crops like never before. Bolivia’s glaciers are also melting at an unprecedented rate. The glacier that provided water to the capital city of La Paz and neighbouring area of El Alto has disappeared, resulting in serious problems for the second biggest urban area in the country.

Indigenous people consider themselves sons and daughters of Mother Earth. In the indigenous Quechua language, Mother Earth is known as Pachamama. They always ask permission for using the earth for agricultural purposes, via traditional rituals, offerings, or sacrifices. Modern development does not respect Pachamama, or the interdependent relationship that is necessary for the harmony and balance between people and nature.

Indigenous people don’t want to ‘live better’, they want to ‘live well’ – and they want development that is based on social and environmental justice."