Plan Bolivia Annual Progress Report 2010

A YEAR IN

BOLIVIA

SUMMARY REPORT

2010

ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES

Children in BARBADOS Pucarini take an interest in the condition and maintenance of their school

GOOD REASONS

OUR PRIORITIES TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

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in Bolivia

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• 20 per cent of the population lives on less than US$1 a day

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• SupportingCugood community and municipal governance, and promoting children’s rights in community development FRENCH

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• More than a quarter of Bolivian children suffer moderate or severe stunted growth as a result of malnutrition

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• Protecting the health of mothers and young SURINAME oera children Uraric and improving childcare and early GUYANA Orin education for infants

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• Only half of children in rural areas complete primary school

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• Ensuring children and young people get a good education Bran

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• Enabling families to increase their incomes and food supply, and enabling women Tro m tas and adolescents to take part inbefamily n Amazo decision-making Amaz o

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BOLIVIA

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Economy: Bolivia has the

lowest GDP per capita in South America. However, the country is rich in natural resources. Agriculture accounts for roughly 15 per cent of Bolivia’s GDP. Soybeans are the major cash crop, sold into the Andean community market. Bolivia’s government remains heavily dependent on BOLIVIA foreign assistance to finance development projects.

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36 indigenous languages recognised as official Climate: Although Bolivia lies entirely within tropical latitudes, climatic conditions vary widely from tropical in the lowlands to polar in the highest parts of the Andes.

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Capital: La Paz Population: 9.7 million Languages: Spanish, plus

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Bolivia Facts

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Humanitarian supplies are delivered to a camp after flooding near El Torno

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• Ensuring families have access to clean water and Ama on zdecent sanitation and have the knowledge to s Puru maintain clean and healthy living environments

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Focus on:

taking part in decision making The poorest families have little control over how their lives should develop.

Plan works to protect families’ rights and increase their financial security, so children can be better provided for.

Our work in Bolivia includes training communities in better farming techniques.

We help adolescents and adults set up

small businesses to generate income. We support literacy teaching and technical training for young people.

We also teach them about their reproductive rights and work to prevent sexual and domestic violence.

Rights and Safety in San Lorenzo

It’s a sad fact, but for a young girl like Victoria, growing up in San Lorenzo, southern Bolivia could bring years of misery.

Women here are not always treated with the same respect as those elsewhere in Bolivia.

Seven out of ten suffer physical or emotional abuse in their home. Only ten per cent of the abuse is ever reported.

Indeed, sexual and domestic violence is such a part of life here that Victoria admits: ‘I didn’t think abusing women was so bad and that some men treat us badly.’

But now, she knows differently. Such matters are often taboo, but thanks to her enlightened parents, she’s been attending workshops designed to teach women and teenagers about sexual health matters and the rights they have over their own bodies.

Sharing knowledge Supported by Plan, the workshops cover all aspects of reproductive health, from contraception to preventing sexually transmitted infections. They also deal with issues like teenage pregnancy and abuse.

Victoria explains: ‘Being a part of the project has been really important for me and lots of other teenagers. It’s let me know and talk about rights. There have been changes in my life. I’ve learnt to take more care of myself.’

The project works by giving Victoria the tools and confidence to share her knowledge with other young people. The trainers not only teach Victoria about keeping healthy and safe, but also how to communicate these messages to others.

It’s a role she loves. ‘Now I’m not scared to talk to other people,’ she says. ‘I advise them and tell them how to look after themselves. I tell them about methods of contraception and what sex and sexuality mean because they still don’t know what it is and get things wrong because they don’t have any information.

Produced for Bolivia by Plan International Australia.

‘We do radio programs to get the information to more people because we know that’s how the people living in the countryside get their information. I took courses on how to make radio programs and they trained me as a reporter so we did programs on methods of contraception, abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, sexual rights, teenage pregnancy, communication and other things to do with sexuality.’

Influencing change Gradually, young people like Victoria are becoming leaders in their communities, respected for their wisdom and determination to speak up on issues critical to the wellbeing of women and adolescents.

As part of Plan’s wider program on this topic, networks have been set up to prevent and deal with sexual and domestic violence, working with local and regional authorities. Young people help by asking their communities to be vigilant about abuse, as Victoria explains: ‘When we’re talking to older people we ask them to support us so that our rights are respected and to report abuse, especially of women and children, because there are parents who don’t support their daughters.’

Such is the teenagers’ influence that they now work with community organisations, like the Child Protection Offices to ensure children and young people are kept safe from harm.

Young people involved in a radio program at the Yemba Tiremba station

The Bigger Picture Plan is working with children, families and communities to find sustainable solutions to the challenges in Bolivia. We have only given you a small insight into Plan’s work in Bolivia with this report but over the past year we also: • Gave children the chance to enjoy clean, safe water by constructing or upgrading 1011 water systems • Raised the standard of education for children by building or rehabilitating 15 schools • Offered 455 people in eight communities the opportunity to increase their incomes through savings and loans groups • Promoted children’s rights by training 340 children to become young journalists Your support as a sponsor is crucial to achieving these results. With the resources provided by sponsors, Plan expertise and the collaboration of communities and local partners we are making a big difference to the lives of people in Bolivia.

Thank you for your involvement!

To learn more about Plan’s work in Bolivia visit plan.org.au/ourwork/southernamerica/bolivia

Victoria is proud to be involved in such positive developments: ‘I am much more a part of my community,’ she says.

She knows that with Plan’s support, the project has given her much more than an understanding of reproductive health. She can defend her rights. She can share her opinions and make her voice heard. She is changing young people’s lives for the better.

Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons

‘The project works by giving Victoria the tools and confidence to share her knowledge with other young people.’