Oxfam's work in Bolivia in depth

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In Bolivia, Oxfam's focus is the rights of women and indigenous peoples, urban equity, economic justice, disaster preparedness and adaptation to climate change.

The context

Bolivia is known as a country rich in cultural diversity and natural resources. With a population of 10 million, and some 36 different indigenous groups, Bolivia has the second worst poverty and inequality levels in Latin America and the Caribbean after Haiti. Some 60% of Bolivians live in poverty and 38% live in extreme poverty.

In 2000, Bolivia began a State reconstruction process which has opened up new opportunities for a structural approach to inequality and social exclusion.

How Oxfam is helping

Oxfam has worked in Bolivia since 1988 combating high inequality levels, high poverty indexes, climate change vulnerability, and discrimination against indigenous peoples and women.

Our work in Bolivia is centred around four programmes:

Economic justice

This programme seeks to address economic inequality affecting mostly women and indigenous populations. Oxfam is working with social organisations to generate dialogue with the State and support them in participating in the formulation and implementation of public policies that ensure better wealth distribution. We also aim to harness the power of political alliances in the South to influence global decisions on development, economic integration and climate justice.

Urban equity

This programme focuses on urban environments where population density and high rates of poverty and inequality form a barrier to people – especially women and indigenous groups – exercising their rights. This stems in large part from their historic exclusion from public policies, with urbanisation and migration accelerating and exacerbating their problems. However, in the current context of legislative and societal change, a great opportunity arises to foster new public policies, change attitudes and beliefs and help build spaces for intercultural debate to strengthen participatory democracy and gender equity.

Working with local partners and social organisations, Oxfam aims to strengthen the impact of networks, increasing dialogue with authorities and community work on monitoring and transparency.

Case study: Rita Cachiacatari

Rita Cachicatari was born in Copacabana and represents the Ciudad de El Alto Markets Federation in Bolivia. Rita, as with many other women, migrated to El Alto and today participates in a project called “Indigenous women and popular sectors in democratic and intercultural debate processes” that the Colectivo Cabildero and Oxfam are implementing in the El Alto Market and the peripheral macro district in La Paz. The project, via workshops, organised training sessions and other activities, has strengthened women’s leadership and participatory democracy. “Participating in these workshops is good. Here we learn about our rights and we demand our voices be heard in the Murillo Plaza, the Parliament and everywhere,” Rita explains.

Risk management and climate change adaptation

This programme seeks to introduce a comprehensive thematic focus on risk management and climate change adaptation into development planning at local, regional, and national levels. Our focus is on working with communities to reduce the likelihood of catastrophes and to help them be prepared in the event of a future disaster. We also provide emergency relief through a joint effort with allies and government to address preparedness, prevention, mitigation, reconstruction, and response across the country.

This programme also supports projects and policies on disaster risk reduction that consider the need of communities to adapt to problems caused by climate change by fostering best practice and innovation.

Case study: Glacier reduction

Thousands of Quechua and Aymara familias in the Bolivian Andes’ region rely on glaciers as their source of water for both agriculture and consumption.  Many communities are concerned about the recent trend of glaciers melting. As Lucia Quispe, from the Khapi community explains,  “[If the glacier continues to melt] there could be a terrible draught, we would not have more snow or water coming down. How will we irrigate our plots?”

Oxfam is working with local organisation ‘Sustainable Water’ in several communities located in the Andean region to support climate change adaptation processes such as crop diversification planting and promoting water storage techniques during the dry season.

Gender justice

With support from the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands, Oxfam and Hivos from Holland have created a consortium to apply funds to foster effective change in power relationships on gender, encouraging women –especially those from indigenous communities — to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, political participation and access to natural resources.

In December 2009, they succeeded in having 30% women representation in the pluri-national legislative assembly. Oxfam was part of this process as it supported the creation of a platform that included more than 30 women organisations committed to ensure compliance to the Electoral Regime act, under the slogan “Mujeres listas para las listas” (loosely translated as “Women ready for the lists.”)

This fact is translated in the visibility of power inequality and it opens the way to debate and the positioning of the political and social agenda of women. This is a definitive step forward in women’s effort to occupy key positions.

 

Last updated: May 2011