Report

My internship with CARE-Bolivia required conducting work project evaluations and producing “Lessons Learned” from CARE’s Poverty Alleviation Fund. I knew from the start that this would be a valuable professional experience for me and it proved so. I felt well-prepared to undertake the task and my anthropological training and cultural knowledge of Bolivia were definite assets.

From the very beginning, CARE staff kindly opened their homes to me. While in La Paz, I stayed at the Deputy Director’s house. It was nice to be with a family and certainly helped on costs. I was also fortunate for the manager of the local office in Oruro to open his extra room in his apartment for me. In Potosí, the staff helped me locate an apartment to rent. Bolivia is not an expensive country, nevertheless what I would have spent in rent or hotel stays would have significantly eaten into my stipend.

It was not my first time in Bolivia. I had conducted my Ph.D. fieldwork in the Amazon region of the country, although working in the altiplano or high altitude plain often made me question if I was in the same country.

Bolivia's cultural and geographical diversity is remarkable, with many customs to learn and sites to see. It is a country of only 8 million residents, occupying a vast and wide landmass. Both of the cities I worked out of, Oruro and Potosí, have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Oruro is Bolivia’s folklore capital with the largest annual carnival festivities in the country. This otherwise cold and dry city, was formerly a center for mineral refinement. Today, it serves as a market city for manufactured items coming in from Chilean ports. While not so visually appealing on ordinary days of the year, Orureños are known for being kind and welcoming, to which I can attest.

Based on colonial history, Potosí should might need no introduction. My second, longer posting was in this city - once one of richest in the world, now sadly overexploited and poor. The astonishing contrast of a legacy of exploitation has resulted in this opulent city being situated one of the poorest regions in South America’s poorest nation.

The colonial architecture in Potosí still stands. It is one of the most beautiful of South American cities set with the monumental Cerro Rico in the backdrop. Cerro Rico was, at one time, the largest silver deposit in the world and the minerals extracted financed Spain’s imperial exploits of the past. Today, miners miners still eke out a meagre living under abominable conditions, mining away at what is left inside the great “Rich Mountain.”

As a marked change from my time in the Amazon region, the most obvious contrast was the high altitude. I lived at an elevation of 4100 meters and visited communities as high as 4500 meters.

Over the course of my 12 week internship, I visited 32 of CARE’s projects and wrote a 50 page Lessons Learned document in Spanish. It worked out well to have a highly intensive period of field visits the first month and a half followed by more time dedicated to writing up my report in an office setting.

My schedule was flexible at the second half of the work, allowing me to set my hours and take advantage of the tourist attractions in the region. I established good relationships with CARE personnel in both offices. The benefit of professionals of similar age in the offices allowed me to partake in their social activities.

A fifth consecutive democratic presidential election was held during my stay. It was a controversial time as international geopolitics came to play an influential role in the results. Voting is obligatory and transportation shuts down for an entire 24-hour period to prevent suspicious movement between polling centers.

Significantly for the Bolivian population, this election marked the first time a large percentage of indigenous delegates were elected to both the Congress and Senate. It was a sure signal that the future of the country’s political power is making a swing toward greater representation of its indigenous populace.

The following day, I traveled from Potosí to Oruro, typically a six hour trip. Because of heavy snowfall my bus and five others literally got stuck in the mud and snow increasing the trip to 14 hours! In my range of experiences in South America, a trip is not complete without one bus stall and extended period of being stranded on a highway.

Through my internship, I was very pleased to be able to visit a wide range of CARE’s poverty alleviation projects. These ranged from infrastructure projects, such as bridge construction, to micro-enterprise initiatives.

One particular project was the official inauguration of a milk processing plant. After overcoming difficulties in start-up we were delighted to be able to sample the products of their labor - fresh cheese and delicious yogurt. While the milk producers are predominantly men, the women are responsible for its transformation into dairy products. They received intensive training and were noticeably proud of their accomplishment that day.

Another project involved training silversmith artisans in improved techniques for producing mirrors and picture frames. It was an interesting project and the beneficiaries were notably proud of their experience. However, one of the principle “lessons learned” during this visit was that there is absence of any feasibility or market studies for these small initiatives.

Time and time again, I observed that these poverty alleviation projects were at risk of not reaching their goals of income generation. This was not because the participants had not taken to the new training; rather that there was poor planning and little forward thinking.

NGOs, such as CARE, are currently undergoing reorientation to strategies for social and economic development assistance. Hopefully, my observations can help inform CARE about some of the shortcomings as well as successes in their projects to alleviate poverty in Bolivia's rural regions.

Photo Gallery

The Llama is one of the most important resources in Bolivia’s altiplano. They are a key symbol of Andean culture.

Me with Llamas.

A local weaver demonstrates a rich weaving history in the Tarabuco style.

With CARE Agronomist, Pierto Fiorilo. We visit a Llama slaughterhouse after recent snowstorm.

Salt mounds - from salt extraction at the Uyuni salt lakes.

View from Fisherman’s Island overlooking Uyuni salt lake.

Discussing, with parents and teachers, the sustainability of a new school project funded by CARE.

Milk products from a processing plant proudly displayed by the producers.

I meet with silversmith artisans - beneficiaries of training through FAP - to record their perceptions of the program.

Andean Carnival dances.

The rich tradition of Andean Carnival dances persist today in Oruro, the Folklore Capital of Bolivia.

Tio in Socavon – El Tio, principal icon of miners, receives daily offerings of alcohol, coca leaves, and tobacco to ensure good fortune in mining endeavors.

I visit a bee-keeping project and discuss the obstacles and shortcomings of honey production at high altitude.