Bolivian Voices

The magazine “Américas” of the Organization of American States (OAS) recently published a short article about Voces Bolivianas in its October 2008 issue. Reporter Chris Hardman interviewed Eduardo Ávila about the project’s goals and about its plans for the future. The article also provided examples of some of the new bloggers such as Marisol Medina.

On a Saturday morning in El Alto, Bolivia, a group of men and women intensely watch the computer screens at the Internet Café Scorpio. Some of the users have never had access to the internet and now they are learning to write mesages, digital photograhy and video techniques, tools necessary to have a voice within the global online conversation that is the Internet.

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“I think the internet can be a great equalizer, as it can connect people that may not normally interact offline,” says Eduardo Ávila, the director of the program.

To see a scan of the article please click here.

Mónica Ticona writes about activities in the municipality of San Andrés de Machaca in Ingavi Province. During the dates around Worker Day (May 1), a football tournament is held in the community of Laquinamaya. Mónica describes a bit about the Altiplano town:

This community sits on the border with the Republic of Peru between the markers 23 and 28. The climate is frigid and the residents raise cattle. There are vast pamapas, but with very little vegetation. The people work from sunrise until sunset. For the residents fo the community there are no Sundays or holidays.

To read and comment on the complete article, click here.

Original: EL DESEO DE SUPERACION
En Aymara: Wakicht’asiñ amuyu

Mrs. Segundina Inca participates in the literacy program, and I had the chance to speak with her about her experiences. She is from Los Andes Province in the Department of La Paz. She was left orphaned as a child, has four brothers, and as she is the eldest sister she became responsible for the household, because her father found another partner. Later, she had to suffer through the flooding of the Katari River, which washed her house and animals away. Because of that she had to migrate to the city, and here she talks a little bit about her experience in learning to read and write.

I started school for a few months, which they referred to during those time as the preparatory cycle, and one of my teachers asked me what the drawing of a house was, and I responded UTA. The teacher told me that it was not UTA, but it was a house. As I did not know Spanish, I had a lot of problems. However, in spite of that, I had every intention to learn how to read and write. Sometimes when I was with the cattle in the plains, I would draw some letters in the dirt, which were erased very easily. I also drew some figures and numbers on some flat rocks. When I was younger, I looked for people that could teach me to read and write, even offering to pay money. Now with this literacy program, I am learning and I hope to read and write some day because even for something like getting on a mini-bus, one must read the letters of its destination…

Segundina is a very strong person that fights on a daily basis to move forward.

Original: Los Niños, Los Niños
In Aymara: Coming Soon

Harvested in fertile land, ready to grow, waiting for someone to appreciate and cultivate their abilities, skills and virtues, with their innocent smile lacking in any hint of evil in their soul, so adorable and as John Fitzgerald said, “children are the most important resource in the world and the best hope for the future.” So that they have a better future, we should treat children with much care so that a seed can be harvested for the future, with fundamental values such as respect, reciprocity and humanity.

In the city of El Alto, many children stay at home by themselves because the father and mother work all day in order to provide a daily income. They leave them sleeping in the morning and find them sleeping at night. They cannot spend the necessary time with them to give them support. For that reason, some children are raised by the media, which some of the time does not contain educational programs and often shows them a reality that does not exist. That reality for some families can only be changed by education. It is the responsibility of the entire society, the parents and teachers.