Article for the National Energy Technology Laboratory Newsletter and General Update

Hello All! It's been awhile, but I'm a busy bee down here, and it's quite hard to find the time to write in my blog. This post will be largely an article I wrote for my mom's company's newsletter, but I'll tell you a little about what's been going on down here first.

Two weeks ago we had the chance to do a rural homestay in a nearby town called Mallcho Rancho, where we joined another group called Youth International that was here for about 2 weeks working on a school in the neighboring town of Viloma. As in Cochabamba, we stayed with local families (along with two other YI students, who were mainly just out of high school), but there is a very stark contrast between city and country living; although, there was certainly a wide variety of conditions in terms of host houses, from no shower and an outdoor bathroom to houses bigger and fancier than mine at home. My host family's house was somewhere in the middle. They were poultry farmers, and the host dad was a laborer for local projects. My host mom had been working at a toilet paper factory, but quit right around when we came to stay because she was tired of working the night shift. I had quite a nice shower, actually, and the chicken I ate from their farm was deeelicious.

The actual work was pretty strenuous and left me sore, but definitely in a good way. We were working mainly on laying sidewalks and stuco-ing walls, so I did a mixture of shoveling, rock, dirt, and water hauling, cement mixing, and stucco-ing. It was a little discouraging at the same time, though, because the classrooms we were working on were the last two to be done of an 8 classroom project, but the community couldn't afford to buy the materials for the roofs, which cost about $1,500 each. So, eventhough we got a lot done, the rooms still won't be in use for another few months.

Here at "home" I've been doing classes, kick-your-butt-yoga, and service as usual. This week was my first working at CEOLI, which is a center for kids with disabilities, where they go to learn in a classroom setting, as well as basic life skills. I worked in the craft shop with the older group, who range from teens up to 25yrs old. There they work on making craft items that they sell in a shop downtown to make money for the center. The things they make are actually really neat, and it was a nice break from Millennium, as there is considerably more life, laughte, and overall good spirit among the kids at CEOLI.

My last excciting story is that there was a socialist presidential summit here last weekend, called the ALBA-TCP (Alianza Bolivariana para los pueblos de Nuestra América, or The Bolivarian Alliance for the towns of our America), which included nine countries, the most important of which are Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia. The main issues they made judgements on were denouncing the new government of Honduras, which took over in a coup this summer and creating a new currency called the Sucre that all of the member states will start using in international trade in 2010 (to me this seems a lofty goal, but we'll see how it goes). This was the seventh meeting of the group, which is growing, but will probably never include major Latin American nations like Brazil and Argentina, because the summit is not shy to speak out against the United States and Europe's Western imperialism. The other major players in Latin America are major precisely because they are highly involved in the "Western" economies, so they couldn't take that stance.

Anyway, the presidents were staying at the Hotel Cochabamba, which my friend Bridget and I walk by each day to go to Spanish class, so we got to walk by all the mounting police and pres everyday, etc, which was kinda neat. Last Saturday, though, I called a Bolivian friend because we were supposed to go on a motorcycle ride (which we did later, and it was also awesome), and he was there at the hotel. He said Evo had already left, but he was waiting to see Chavez. Sooo, we hurried down there, and there were only about 50 people, so we could get right up against the rope, and, low and behold, here comes Hugo Chavez strutting out to romance the crowd before going to the stadium for a rally that was taking place (which was too dangerous for us to go to, unfortunately; we stand out, and people seem to die just about every year in political protesting here).

So, we're getting pics, etc, and he starts talking to this woman from overtop his car door, and invites her to the stadium with him. There were, of course, a bunch of "ohs" and "ahs" following that, but then he looks over in our direction and sees Bridget. He looked at her and said (in Spanish, of course), "you, white woman, where are you from", and we were both totally stunned, and actually scared to tell him we were from the US because, as you probably know, Chavez is about the most outspoken USA-hating president around. She told him, though, and he asked what part she was from, then he said "Viva los Estados Unidos!" and told her in Spanish, then in English "you are our sister!" Of course I'd been filming, but the minute he started talking to her I freaked out and turned my camera off, then turned it back on a few second later, so I missed a few seconds of the conversation, including the "Viva" part, but got the majority. I really wish now I'd talked to him because considering the circumstances I'm sure he would've answered, but I was just in total shock. Still, it was a pretty surreal experience.

Anyway, I'll get off here and start on some homework. I hope everyone's having a lovely fall, and I wish you a Happy Halloween!

Sincerely yours, fellow white woman,
Alanna

P.S. photos are being uploaded onto my Flickr as we speak, as well as the Chavez videos :-) The link is to the left under "Related Links"

Article:

Cochabamba, Bolivia, is a city with a rich and sometimes troubling political history, and, now, as President Evo Morales approaches his first chance for re-election December sixth, the city is a political science student’s paradise. In the little over a month that I have been studying and volunteering here, there has been at least one blockade, two protests, one of which involving the use of tear gas and water hoses for crowd control, and a Latin American presidential summit that included such figures as Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro. I’ve also had numerous political dialogues with city and country residents alike, seen the endless political propaganda that is spattered across the city’s walls, been beside a friend who was directly addressed by Hugo Chavez himself (who finished by telling her, “you are our sister”, then proceeded to call North Americans gor
illas who couldn’t think later that afternoon, ah Chavez), stepped out of my house to encounter the other major presidential candidate parading down the street, and gotten to know too well the heart-rending effects of government policies concerning adoption and orphanage maintenance.

Although it seems relatively certain that Evo will once again claim the presidency, I am very fortunate to have been here during an election and have learned more about Bolivian and Latin American politics already than I had imagined. It is a fact that in 2005 Evo was elected by a landslide as Bolivia’s first “indigenous president”, less than a year after violent protesting over oil and gas reform forced the former president to resign his post. It is also true that he has instituted some significant policy changes, such as re-nationalizing the oil and gas industries, and, just this weekend, making an accord with eight other leftist Latin American states to create a universal currency to be used in international trade, called the Sucre. However, the fine details of exactly has occurred in the subsequent years under the administration of Evo and his MAS (Movement toward Socialism) party tends to coincide at least somewhat with whom you are talking and what their views toward the president and his politics are.

Living Bolivia’s third largest city, I tend to get opinions that are staunchly anti-Evo, and was actually quite surprised to find that a few rural Bolivians I spoke with feel the same enmity towards him that most city-dwellers do, even if they voted for him four years ago. I’ve heard many opinions about el presidente, some of which I believe to be true and some exaggeration, including that he receives direct funding from Venezuela (although his policies do appear to be somewhat more moderate than one would expect from a president with the word “socialism” in his party’s title), that he has no more than a high school education, that he encourages animosity between urban and rural Bolivians, and that he has undermined the middle class while fostering a growth of narco-trafficking in rural Bolivia, including in the mountains surrounding Cochabamba. Whether or not his policies have been beneficial or destructive to the country in the long term is yet to be seen, but there is no denying that the sheer emotion invoked by his name attest to how historically significant his regime will always be to the nation. And despite his many criticisms, Evo is a beacon of hope for much of rural Bolivia, and has the ability to inspire in them a sense of unity and empowerment that has been robbed of their people for centuries.

My most direct experience with Evo’s policies, though, as a volunteer in a local orphanage, have left a bad taste in my mouth, and make me question the validity of his views. The orphanage where I volunteer at is called Millennium, and is a semi-private, semi-state funded facility currently housing twenty-two children between the ages of six months and six years, who are cared for by two nurses at a time and intermittent volunteers. The center receives a government payment of $.42 per day, per child, and is in serious threat of closure due to a recent drop in its main source of funding from the United States. The orphanage apparently used to have a relatively significant adoption rate to Europe (Bolivia has never had an agreement with the Untied States), but Evo has failed to renew agreements with all European nations apart from The Netherlands, whose license has yet to expire. The president’s view is that Bolivia’s children are not for “export”, an interesting notion in a nation where the GDP/capita is under $3,000. I suppose in his mind they are better of on their $.42 daily bread than in the hands of Western imperialists.

Despite the director’s best intentions, the kids at Millennium are given a level of care that may be defined in the United States as negligent. With only two nurses to care for twenty-two children and a budget that only allows for two diapers per baby per day, one can certainly note the health, developmental, and social problems that the children may never be able to overcome. After the children reach six years of age they are moved to various state-run facilities, as the licensing requirements vary. I have never personally visited one of these facilities, but our local coordinator said they are in poor enough conditions that it is not uncommon

for the children to run away rather than stay there; I have personally seen kids not much older than six asleep on the sidewalks on a semi-regular basis. As of 2006 there were 40 million homeless children in Latin America, and I think it is safe to assume the numbers have only been growing since. Still, the government seems more interested in good public relations and bashing the United States than facing these dire issues.

Still, as an aid worker it is at least heartening to encounter individuals like the director of Millennium who give all their time and energy to providing the children with a roof over their heads and enough meals to keep them satisfied. Although we are sometimes upset by the conditions at the orphanage, we’ve been told that it is one of the best in the city, and that the sudden lack of funding due to the financial crisis was a major blow. The board of directors are now struggling to keep it open, and if it closes the kids will be transferred to state-run orphanages, where they will almost certainly face a more difficult living situation than they already have, with thanks to the government’s spending on things like increasing a needless military and launching the first Bolivian satellite.

If you or any individual or organization you know is interested in making a donation to Millennium, or if you or anyone you know may be interested in doing a volunteer to Bolivia or one of Amizade’s many other global volunteer sites, please contact Amizade, and they will be able to give you further guidance: amizade.org. Any donation to Millennium through Amizade would go directly for the improvement of the children’s living situation, and would really make a difference in their lives. Hopefully through the generosity of others in Bolivia and abroad we can keep this facility running and get it back to top condition.

P.P.S. Amizade is having a donation day this coming Wednesday the 29th at 10:00AM where if you donate any amount between $50 and I believe $2,500 the donation will be matched 50% by another organization in Pittsburgh, and if you specify the funds can go to Millennium or any other project Amizade is working on. Just something to think about ;-) Check out Eric's blog under "Related Links" for more info!

The Real Work Begins

Hellooo!

It seems like an eternity since I last did an entry - all of our days have been filled to the brim with classes, service, excursions, family functions, homework, and an hour or so to relax or get a coffee. Needless to say I´ve been a little busy, and have a tooon to write about. I´ll just cover the basics of what´s been going on lately.

A short-term (older adult, not college-aged) Amizade group was here for two weeks (most are leaving today, and last night we had an awesome going away party complete with all you can eat fresh seafood, a private room at a Karaoke bar, and dancing salsa, merengue, and samba with some Bolivian friends), and were working on construction of an orphanage called Hogar de Niños in a small town about 20 minutes outside of Cochbamba called Vinto. We had the pleasure of being able to join them for a few days of work, and got down a diry painting, stucco-ing (which is extremely difficult), plastering, tiling, and the like. Amizade has been working on the orphanage for many years, and have expanded it two-fold. Some of the volunteers had been here before, and were back for more. One couple in perticular, Marty and Marvin from Missouri, have been coming to Cochabamba off and on for 10 years, and cçhave built a very strong relationship with the people here. Marvin is even the godfather of one of the local mason´s sons.

However, last week we all got a big shock, when about ten armed policemen showed up at the orphanage when the others were working (we weren´t there), and began an investigation of the premises. We came to volunteer the next day, and found out that the news was reporting that the orphanage was being shut down due to abuse, and in the following days the story began to unfold. We were still able to work, eventought the kids had been taken to different facilities, although reporters were streaming in and out all day. Now, our professor did make clear to us that we are unsure of what the situation is, exactly, and that the Latin American media tends to overexagerrate and jump to conclusions, so do consider that. Anyway, according to the media the nuns running the orphanage were not real nuns, and there were various reported cases of abuse by them, other employees, and older children to younger children.

I hesitated to even include this in my blog, but I think it´s important to give a realistic account of what´s going on here. Amizade of course has no fault at all in the matter, and is not involved in any way, we are fairly certain that the facitlity itself will be re-opened under different management, and that all the hard work that has been put in over the years by many generous individuals will not go to waste. Our overall experience at Hogar de Niños was positive, and we were able to interact with the kids one day after work. They even made birthday cards for two of our volunteers, and we had a little party with cake and playtime. I can only hope that they are able to return to their home with the care they deserve, and are not put out in the street. I´ll go into a little further detail about this system a little later.

Last Saturday I went to a baptism with my host family at a church in a nearby town, which was very interesting. The church is famous for its alter to the virgin, and once a year draws people from all over South America to pay tribute to her. It is apparently a strong center of faith, and thus a popular place for baptisms and weddings. When we arrived a newlywed couple was just pulling away, and when we were leaving they were setting up for the next wedding. The baptism itself was for 90 kids, most from the surrounding countryside. We were there for my host uncle´s (who lives with us) granddaughter, Velesca.

The service itself was a little nuts because there were so many people in attendance. You really couldn´t hear anything the priest was saying, and there were photographers and camera crews all around trying to capture the moment to sell to participating families. My host mom explained to me that it is unusual for people from the city ot baptise their children under those circumstances, but her great niece had been born with a birth defect, and her parents had prayed to the virgen, promising to baptise her there if they were able to get is fixed through surgeries, etc. Valesca is now totally healthy, to my knowledge. This photo is of my host uncle with his 3 daughers. The one holding Valesca is her godmother, who lives in Miami, and came in for surgery. It´s cheaper for her to fly both ways and get two surgeries and dental work done here than to get them in the U.S. Talk about a need for healthcare reform.

On Sunday our group travelled with the short term group and three other travelers Eric met at his hostel to a site called Incallajta, which is the location of an Incan fort and small city. The whole trip was extremely interesting, and the 3-hour drive through the mountains taught us a good bit about the country just from looking out the windows. When you get outside the city you begin to see the life of the majority of the world - mud huts with straw roofs, outhouses, small plots, sometimes at an incredibly steep grade on the side of the mountain, and essentially no more than the ingredients for a life of subsistence.

The site itself was gorgeous, and we had a very good guide. We took about a 2 hour hike around the ruins, and had a lovely time. There´s really not too much to say about it, but I got some nice photos, so you can get a little bit of an idea for yourself. It was a cool day with high wind and, as always, the strong Bolivian sun.

A local walks his horse down the mountain; Descending the path to the waterfall

Last week I started my service work at Millennium orphanage in Cochabamba (not to be confused with the one in Vinto that was shut down), which is about 4 blocks from my house. I´ll be working there two days out of the week, and with another organization called CEOLI, which provides services, classes, etc for children with disabilities. I haven´t had the chance to go there yet, though. Millennium is home to 22 kids, aged 6 months to 6 yrs old. After they turn six they are no longer allowed to get state funding, so if they aren´t adopted or placed in a different facility they are put out on the street, which is very upsetting to me. There are many street children around the city, many will juggle or wash your windshield at a stoplight for change or come around outdoor restaurants begging. This photo is one I took walking to Spanish class one morning. Can you imagine? Or do any of us really want to?

Anyway, Millennium is run by a woman named Virginia who has a very obvious committment to providing the best home she can for the kids. Although they only get $.43 a day from the government for each child, at least they have food, clothing, and a bed to sleep in. Still, the conditions are a little hard to accept. All of the kids have runny noses and coughs, and most have lice. There are 2 nurses on staff and various volunteers in and our, but they have to be somewhat stern due to the lack of staff. For instance, we aren´t allowed to pick the kids up because then they´ll cry to be held all the time, and if one falls and is crying they´re essetially just told to get over it and left on the floor. As volunteers we help feed and cloth them, etc, but also just give them as much individual attention as possible. We took turns holding Pablo, the 6 month old baby (who can barely hold his head up), and talking to the others, rubbing their backs, tickling them, etc. It´s as depressing as it is fulfilling, but hopefully over the course of a few months it´ll make a little difference.

Adoptions to American families from Bolivia has apprently never been legal, but traditionally they have been allowed with Europe. Now, though, Presidente Morales isn´t renewing the adoption agreements, and according to my information the only foreign adoptions that are still allowed are to The Netherlands. His stance is generally quite anti-Westrn "Developed World" (which has actually been well-earned, but is not necessarily the best attitude) as far as I can tell, and he says that Bolivia´s children are not for export. A nice theory that results in an ever increasing population of street children. According to my Spanish teacher they had some issues with children being adopted and sold into slavery or used in the organ sales black market, which is very hard to believe, but may be true. Still, it seems to me if you´re that crooked and evil it would be easier and cheaper to just take them off the street and smuggle them out of the country.

As much as I do love it here, there are plenty of things to make you angry and ashamed of the lavish lifestyle we lead in comparison to so many in the world. Yet at the same time, it´s natural to think of yourself first, is it not? I know when I get back my career and my happiness will be at the top of the priority list, not ending world hunger. Still, the fact that I´m very much hoping to enter a career that will make at least a small impact in this area helps to reconcile a little of that guilt.

Eric posted a few quotes from our journals on his blog, and they are all worth checking out. It´s interesting to see everyone else´s reaponses to the trip thus far. Mine was in response to a quote we read in class, which is as follows:

"Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life."

Nelson Mandela

My response to that was this: When you think of ending poverty as an act of justice rather than an act of charity it places an individual responsibility on each of us to act in ways that are more just rather than just nice.

It´s just something to think about. I do believe that there could be an end to poverty, but unless there are fundamental changes made in our lifestyles. There was a very good article we read called "What Should a Billionaire Give and What Should You?" that breaks down the amount that the super-rich would have to give to substantially increase the quality of life of millions. It´s not that much. If you´re interested you can read the article at http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/20061217.htm.

That´s all for now. This week we´ll be staying with rural families for 3 days and working on furthering construction of a school in the country with a group that´s here called Youth International. That should be very interesting. I´m also going to start having essays due every week, so I don´t know how much time I´ll have to write. I´ll try to keep up as best I can.

Here´s my song of the day. I´m sure you´ve all heard it, but there´s no harm in a little reminder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b7qaSxuZUg

"You may say I´m a dreamer, but I´m not the only one..."

Yours,

Alanna