BOLIVIA BACKGROUND

Bolivia is famous for its breathtaking Andean landscapes, Inca ruins, large indigenous population and Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake. Less well known, however, is the fact that two thirds of the country is covered with virgin rainforests that form part of the Amazon basin. Given its enormous variety of ecological zones, the country also offers an enormous diversity of cultures, from the Guaraní of the orient to the better-known Quechua and Aymará Indians in the altiplano.

Bolivia is infamous as the country that has had 190 coups since independence in 1825. Despite its relatively small population, enormous reserves of natural resources and relatively stable democracy over the last 20 years, Bolivia is still one of the poorest countries in South America. Many experts say that this is largely the result of wide-spread government corruption and the international imposition of neo-liberal economic measurements. The city of Cochabamba, for example, became internationally known in April 2000 when the local population refused to except the sale of its local water supply to transnational companies. Notwithstanding all this, Bolivia remains one of the safest countries for traveling in Latin America.

Volunteer Bolivia is based in the city of Cochabamba where most of our activities take place. Bolivia has three major cities: La Paz/ El Alto, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.
Third in size, Cochabamba is home to approximately 800,000 people and the largest open-air market in the country. Nestled in a high valley (8,430 ft./ 2570 Mts.) and surrounded by numerous small-farming villages, the department of Cochabamba produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. These features, combined with the Mediterranean climate (temp. mean of 66F/19 C) throughout the year, make it a highly desirable place to live.

NEW ARTICLE

Just a quick note to let all know we have an article in the recent copy of Canadian Student Magazine check it out.

CARNAVAL 2009

Carnival in Bolivia is a without a doubt the most popular of the Bolivian festivals. Each region of the country celebrates carnival in their own manner. These festivals are the best demonstration of our folklore and traditions. The biggest carnival festival is in Oruro and has been declared by UNESCO as Cultural Patrimony of Humanity”.

The traditional legend is that in 1789 the Virgin of the Socavón (loosely translated as mine shaft) miraculously appeared in the largest sliver mine in Oruro. Since this time the festival has honoured the virgin and even today the most important parts of the festival of take place in front of the at the shrine of the Socavón.

The preparations for carnival take place all during the year with uncountable ceremonies and rituals. The largest of these celebrations takes place in Oruro when thousands of dancers take to the streets accompanied by large brass bands and dance for kilometres. The main dance is the diablada but one will also see morenada, caporals, suri-sicurus la llamerada, la kullawada and Tinku as well as dozens of others.

Come with us to experience this unforgettable event Saturday 21 of Februrary.

Cost: $ 70
Contact: info@boliviacultura.com or call 452-7272

Moving On: Bolivia Ratifies New Constitutional Draft

Many folks have contacted us over the last few months asking about the vote on the new Bolivian constitution. Well at last we have a result....we offer this article from the AIN to keep you informed.

Moving On: Bolivia Ratifies New Constitutional Draft
By Erin Hatheway, Andean Information Network.


January 27, 2009

As predicted, Bolivian voters ratified the new constitutional draft in the national referendum held on January 25, 2009. Exit polls project that the winning margin will be approximately 62 percent. (1) This referendum also set the limit for private land holdings at 5,000 hectares, winning over the other option of 10,000 hectares by an unconfirmed margin of 79 percent. (2) The National Electoral Court continues to tabulate official votes, and final results should be available within several days. [Please refer to the Electoral Court website (in Spanish) for frequently updated official tabulations at http://www.cne.org.bo/.] Although this approval represents a significant achievement for the MAS government, it also marks the beginning of a necessarily long legislative process, perhaps involving more than 100 laws to enact the constitutional reforms.

There were no significant incidents of violence or protest reported on Election Day. Regional voting percentages also followed familiar patterns, with lower approval levels in the lowland departments. Generally, rural results are slower to register, which suggest that “Yes” votes could be higher

Most Bolivians Choose Lower Land Limit

Somewhat unexpectedly, however, an overwhelming majority of voters chose the smaller private landholding limit. The two options, left undecided by the political impasse of the 2007 Constitutional Assembly, were 5,000 hectares (19.5 square miles) or 10,000 hectares (39 square miles). This stipulation will not apply retroactively, but will only be enforced for future land purchases and property formations. The wide margin by which voters approved the limit represents an important mandate for the MAS government to continue with agrarian reform measures.


Response from Both Sides

Lowland opposition leaders had mixed reactions to the approved referendum. Volatile Santa Cruz prefect, Ruben Costas, spoke to a crowd gathered in the city’s main plaza to celebrate the “No” victory in their region on Sunday night. According to the Santa Cruz newspaper, El Deber, Costas demanded that the government recognize the constitution did not win the majority of votes, or they would be met with “unyielding resistance.” (3) Also ignoring the dynamics of the democratic process in a national vote, Santa Cruz autonomy leader, Carlos Dabdoub stated: “No constitution can be implemented if it has not been approved in all of the departments.” (4)

However, the leader of the Santa Cruz Civic Committee, Branko Marinkovic, and Tarija prefect Mario Cossio reportedly asked for negotiations with the MAS government to “build a new Bolivia.” (5)

President Evo Morales praised the referendum outcome in a speech in La Paz Sunday night. “I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to express my great recognition of all our Bolivian sisters and brothers, all of our compatriots, all of the citizens who, by their vote, through their democratic participation, have decided to recreate Bolivia.” (6) Morales also agreed to dialogue and negotiations with opposition, using the new constitution as a starting point.

Important International Support


Raul Lago, the Organization of American States (OEA) delegate in charge of their electoral observers, praised the absence of violence in the January 25 referendum. (7) The delegation stated that it “understands that this election expresses the decision of the Bolivian society to continue advancing to the establishment of the democratic process in Bolivia.” (8)

It is also important to highlight the positive response of U.S. Secretary of State Acting Spokesman, Robert Wood, in his daily press briefing on January 26: “We congratulate the Bolivian people on the referendum, and I don’t think the results are final at this point, but we look forward to working with the Bolivian government in ways we can to further democracy and prosperity in the hemisphere.” (9) When further questioned whether the referendum promoted democracy, Wood responded: “Well, a free, fair democratic process certainly does contribute positively, but what I said was I wanted to wait until we can see the final results. But we certainly do congratulate the Bolivian people on that referendum.” (10) This represents a crucial change under the new Obama administration, after the punitive discourse adopted by Bush officials following the expulsion of Ambassador Goldberg and their lack of public recognition of the legitimacy of the August 2008 recall vote.

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(1) ABI, “TVB: El Sí gana con el 61,96%.” 25 January 2009. http://abi.bo/index.php?i=noticias_texto_paleta&j=20090125234805&l=200901250068_El_S%ED_festej%F3_en_la_plaza_Murillo._(ABI).

(2) Corte Nacional Electoral, “Referéndum Nacional Constituyente 2009.” 26 January 2009. http://www.cne.org.bo/ResultadosRNC2009/wfrmDirimidor.aspx.

(3) El Deber, “El Sí triunfa y el No apunta a un pacto.” 26 January 2009. http://www.eldeber.com.bo/vernotaahora.php?id=090126025210.

(4) Romero, Simon. “Bolivians Ratify New Constitution.” The New York Times, 26 January 2009.

(5) El Deber, “El Sí triunfa y el No apunta a un pacto.” 26 January 2009. http://www.eldeber.com.bo/vernotaahora.php?id=090126025210.

(6) ABI, “Presidente celebra el triunfo del Sí y anuncia refundación inmediata del país.” 25 January 2009. http://abi.bo/index.php?i=noticias_texto_paleta&j=20090125231705&l=200901250066_Evo_Morales_saluda_en_plaza_Murillo_la_victoria_del_S%ED_y_la_refundaci%F3n_del_pa%EDs._(ABI).

(7) EFE, “OEA destaca voluntad de bolivianos para mejorar sus instrumentos democráticos.” 26 January 2009.

(8) ANF, “La OEA entrega a la Corte Electoral evidencias de irregularidades.” 26 January 2009.

(9) U.S. State Department, “Daily Press Briefing,” Robert Wood, Washington, D.C., 26 January 2009. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2009/jan/115389.htm.

(10) Ibid.

hApPy nEw yEaR 2009!!

Volunteer Bolivia wishes everyone Happy New Year and hopes for a 2009 with more justice in the world.


J'ALLALLA

Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe Christmas is only a month away and that once again the “Pro-Navidad” campaign is upon us. If you helped us out last year, thanks so much we raised more than $2500. We would like to do the same this year if possible.

If you don’t know what we are talking about read on. Since 2000, Volunteer Bolivia has organized a Christmas campaign “Pro-Navidad”. For the past 2 years we travelled to the small Andean village of Toro Toro where we will once again be celebrating the holidays. We would like to give a small gift to the children and food baskets with staples such as rice, sugar and powdered milk to their families as well as invite all to a cup of hot chocolate.

WHY TORO TORO??

Over the years we have developed a special relationship with the village residents and the area’s amazing natural beauty. We, and our volunteers, have benefited from the both the kindness and generosity of the families we have met and stayed with. Christmas is a great time and opportunity to give back to the community

Please consider joining us this year, even the smallest donation can help tremendously! We also encourage you to pass this information to friends and family. All help is appreciated..


HOW TO HELP

 Pass this letter on to friends and family so they can join the campaign as well.

 If you’ve got younger brothers and sisters in school, please give this information to them – in the past we have small fundraisers/events in schools to raise money.

 If you are a teacher please think about having your class do a fundraiser!!!

HOW TO DONATE

We have worked out various payment options.

THANKS AND DON’T FORGET TO LET US KNOW IF YOU IF YOU MAKE A DONATION!!!!!!

UNITED STATES

Donations made by check made out to Pat Cridland sent to 6 Bradford Drive, Syracuse, New York, 13224.

OR

You can make a direct deposit to:

Bank: Bank of America
Name of Account: Lee Cridland
Account No: # 938086 2999

AUSTRALIA

Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Name of Account: Paula M Pfoeffer
Account No: 2217 1026 2485

UNITED KINGDOM

Bank: Natwest
Name of Account: Javier Molina M
Account No: 87018853
Sort code: 51-50-14

Cheers,



From the 2008 organizing team!!!!

YES, YOU DO NEED ONE!!

How US Citizens Get a Visa to Bolivia in 7 Easy Steps

Volunteers coming into our program are always asking about visa requirements. For most western countries you can get a 90 day visa once in Bolivia but for US citizens the situation is a bit different. Below is the information provided to us by the Bolivian Embassy. You can either do the paperwork in the US at the nearest Bolivian Embassy or bring it all and pay the fee in the airport once you land in Bolivia. It is just about paperwork so read on....


Tourist Visa Requirements for U.S. Citizens

1. The sworn statement for visa application form
2. A passport valid for six months
3. Hotel reservation or invitation letter
4. Photocopy of roundtrip ticket or travel itinerary
5. Proof of economic solvency
6. Payment of $135 visa issuance fee
7. International yellow fever vaccination certificate

CONFUSED??? A FEW MORE DETAILS


1. THE SWORN STATEMENT FOR VISA APPLICATION FORM . If the tourist does not already have the application form, he/she will be able to obtain one at each immigration checkpoint.

2. VALID PASSPORT. The passport must have a validity of not less than 6 months.

3. HOTEL RESERVATION. In case the tourist is unsure about which hotel he/she will stay at, the immigration officers will provide the tourist with a list of hotels to choose from, according to the tourist's travel budget. A tourist who arrives in the country bearing a letter of invitation shall submit such letter to the immigration officer.

4. PHOTOCOPY OF ROUNDTRIP TICKET OR TRAVEL ITINERARY. In the event the tourist does not have a photocopy of their ticket, he/she shall show a ticket stating his/her return to the United States or to a third country. This information will be recorded in the sworn statement for visa application form.

5. ECONOMIC SOLVENCY. Credit card or equivalent, which must be valid for the duration of the planned stay in Bolivia. In the event the tourist does not have either a credit card or an invitation letter, he/she must be in possession of at least US$50 per day for the length of the anticipated stay in Bolivia.

6. CASH PAYMENT. The US$135 visa fee payment shall be made in cash. No credit or debit cards will be accepted.

7. INTERNATIONAL YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION CERTIFICATE. In case the U.S. citizen does not have an international yellow fever vaccination certificate, he/she must sign an affidavit exempting the Bolivian state from any liability in case of yellow fever contagion within the Bolivian territory. This provision shall apply until further notice.

College Courses Summer 2008

We have busy during the month of June with visits from both Rutgers University and Colorado College.

Beyond Development: Andean Social Movements and Their Struggle for Autonomy was the title of Colorado College's 4 week course in Bolivia. The goal of the course was to get students to think critically about the effects of neoliberal policies and the rise of "left" governments in the Andean Region. We visited women organizations, artist cooperatives, student lead social movements and environmental activitists. In an attempt to explore and understand the radical critiques of "western development". The group of 12 studetns left Bolivia with a deeper understand of the country and with, we hope, a new perspective on the United States.

Rutgers University students participated in a 6 week course called Law, Justice and Rights. This course combined lectures by various guest speakers with a serivce learning experience in the Zona Sur of Cochabamba. All 13 students lived with Bolivian host families as well as traveling as a group to La Paz, Chapare and Toro Toro.

We hope that both groups found their time in Bolivia worthwhile and Volunteer Bolivia looks forward to working with both universities in the future.

Paula - A Librarian Volunteer

I came to Cochabamba in July 2003 and haven't left! The city is small and cosmopolitan, it doesn't have many tourists which makes it a nice place to be as a foreigner. It is an easy city to live in, safe, a lot of fun places to hang out and wonderful people.

Bolivia itself continues to surprise me, even after almost 5 years. If you are interested in travel then it's the perfect place as there is so much to see (Here´s me - second from the left - visiting Torotoro national park on a trip organized by Javier and Bolivia Cultura travel).

I knew nothing about Bolivia before I came here and I kind of preferred it that way as I wanted to discover it for myself. I guess I probably would have liked to understand the political situation a little more as within 3 months the government fell and I didn't believe anything the Australian government or press was telling me as it wasn't based in the reality I was witnessing. I would recommend these sites to read if you are interested:

www.upsidedownworld.org
www.democracyctr.org/blog
www.nickbuxton.info
www.boliviatransitionprojecti.org

and if you can get your hands on John Pilgers documentary "The War on Democracy" I would see that.

In terms of Volunteer Bolivia as far as my experience is concerned, nothing but positive. Although I didn't live with a family I have lots of friends who have and had wonderful experiences, and there was no problem with them going out late or organising other things to do, you just have to tell them and be upfront with them about what you expect and what you want.

What I can tell you about is the Spanish school and the volunteer experience. Cochabamba is a great place to learn Spanish because the Bolivian accent is easy to understand and people are very patient with you. I took lessons at another school for the first 2 years here and then changed and noticed the difference immediately. The school has some of the best teachers in the city, they tailor your classes to what you want to do and learn so you set the agenda. I learnt so much in a short time there that I cant recommend them highly enough.

Volunteering literally changed my life. The great thing about VB is that they work only with very small projects which have little or no outside help so you don't feel like you are swamped by huge NGOs and usually you are the only volunteer and you are really in the community. I'm a librarian so through VB I started volunteering in a small public library. After about 2 years of doing this I'm now working with a network of public libraries, founded during that time, to train librarians, find funding for resources and doing reading programs. So my life has taken quite a dramatic turn.

Both Lee and Javier have been a huge support to me, emotionally, professionally and personally. I'm independently working now and am outside the program but could not be doing what I am doing without the support they gave and still give me.

VB cares a lot about Bolivia and, more than other organisations, put a lot back into the country. Your experience here will be positive if you are prepared to be challenged and take what ever comes. The homestay option will help your Spanish enormously and you will get to see another side of Bolivia you wont get to see anywhere else.

Paula

CHRISTMAS 2007

BY GEORGINA GIBSON

We hope you had a joyous holiday season, a Happy New Year and that 2008 brings us peace in the world.

We want to thank you for your generous donations to our annual Christmas campaign “Pro-Navidad”. Yet again it was a great success and with your help we raised over $us 1,700 and were able to give gifts to over 400 children and their mothers.

The campaign officially started bright and early one morning when the gang made their way to the huge outdoor market, La Cancha. With our shopping lists in hand and fighting the enormous crowds, we left hours later with balls, dolls, teddy bears, games and much, much more.

After a second shopping excursion the next day, we set about sorting and packing all the presents for Toro Toro.

The following day we packed ourselves (Georgina, Laura, Daniela, Carola, Claudia and Javier) and the gifts into the 4x4; and set about on our journey through the countryside to Toro Toro, giving biscuits to all the children we saw along the way.

As we arrived the crowds of children and mums had already began to gather. We unpacked the presents, blew up the balls and arranged the baskets of food for the mums. When we were ready we began to distribute the presents. It was amazing and humbling to see the joy on the children’s faces as they scurried off with a quiet gracias.

Once the gifts were distributed in town we re-packed the 4x4 and went to a nearby village. Arriving in a car full to the brim with balls, dolls and games it was hard not to feel like Santa and his elves with the 4x4 acting as the sleigh. It was wonderful to watch children excitably running down the road as word spread that we were there.

The next day we woke up early feeling good about how well everything had gone so far. Before we left Toro Toro we made hot chocolate and gave cookies to all the children.

As we still had lots of presents to give out which we decided to distribute to the children we saw on our way back home to Cochabamba. The journey back home was unforgettable. We all had our eyes peeled for kids, when we saw them we shouted for them in our newly learned Quechua to come and get their presents. They ran as fast as they could and were all so pleased with their new gifts - the dolls and the soccer balls were especially popular.

After the last present had been given out, we were soon back in the hustle and bustle of Cochabamba. Our time in Toro Toro was incredible and whole experience made us all realise what Christmas is really about.

Thank you once again for supporting the “Pro-Navidad” Christmas campaign and Peace in 2008,

From all of us!!!

CHRISTMAS IN TORO TORO

Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe Christmas is only a month away!!! If you supported “Pro-Navidad” last year, thank you – you helped raise more than $2000.

For the past six years, Volunteer Bolivia has organized a Christmas campaign “Pro-Navidad”. For the first 5 years we were in the villageKami, then last year we travelled to the small Andean village of Toro Toro. of This year we will once again be celebrating the holidays in Toro Toro. We would like to give a small gift to the children and food baskets with staples such as rice, sugar and powdered milk to the families.

WHY TORO TORO??

Over the years we have developed a special relationship with the village residents and the area’s amazing natural beauty. We, and our volunteers, have benefited from the both the kindness and generosity of the families we have met and stayed with. Christmas is a great time and opportunity to give back to the community.

Please consider joining us this year, even the smallest donation can help tremendously! We also encourage you to pass this information to friends and family. All help is appreciated.

If anyone is interested in seeing pictures of last year’s festivities please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/71377790@N0

To donate please contact us at volunteerbolivia@gmail.com or www.volunteerbolivia.org