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The region formerly know by the Spanish Viceroyalty as “Upper Peru” won independence from Spain in 1825; Bolivia was named in honor of Simón Bolívar, the persistent champion of Spanish American Wars for Independence. However, almost 200 years later the country which claims the largest proportional population of indigenous people in South America continues to struggle. Both the legacy that colonization left behind and the added stresses of trying to preserve its indigenous history within a 21st century context continue to affect Bolivians.
Bolivian Mother Commuting Home with her Kids After a Day in La Paz. Photo Courtesy of Brandon Knopp
Bolivia began as a multi-ethnic, highly divided nation, where rich elites of Spanish descent continued to control power and money while the indigenous poor struggled to maintain their way of life as farmers and small-time traders on the fringes of urban society. Today, problems of poverty remain even though more than 60 percent of Bolivians self-identify as indigenous. It wasn’t until 2005, with the election of Bolivia’s first indigenous president, that the issue of poverty was publicly declared to be a consequence of the country’s colonial history. Within the first months of his presidency, Aymara leader Evo Morales began to fight for the protection of indigenous rights, as a way to eradicate the poverty that had been burdening his people for decades.
Coming from a humble background of coca farming and llama herding, Morales’ victory became a symbol of the indigenous majority’s power over the future of the nation. A year into his first term, Morales shocked the world by nationalizing all of Bolivia’s natural gas reserves claiming that the resource belonged to the people of Bolivia and not to foreign money. This represented a major step towards Bolivian decolonization in the 21st century. For the first time since Bolivia’s champion of independence, Bolívar, it seemed that Bolivians had a role model to look towards, one who stood for the protection of his people from foreign rule.
Not all efforts in the name of indigenous rights proved to rely on militant expropriation. Morales also supported the majority population with his public stance on cultural preservation. He increased the prevalence of indigenous language instruction in schools across the country. Morales protected the livelihood of coca farmers by opposing United States pressures to prohibit the growing of the plant, which is at the center of spiritual and economic life for rural Bolivians. Shortly after taking presidency, Morales organized a Constituent Assembly which passed a Constitutional Referendum a few years later in favor of indigenous rights. The new constitution enacted in 2009 recognizes 37 official languages aside from Spanish, restricts private land ownership, and defines Bolivia as a plurinational secular state.
All of these efforts are part of the campaign to eliminate poverty, by way of supporting the indigenous population it heavily weighs upon. While many other developing nations have sought the path of first world aid and 21st century education, Bolivia has remained an adamant opponent to westernization and continues to deal with the positive and negative consequences of their position. Only time will tell how effective this approach is at accomplishing its goals, while the government continues to work on implementing new policies Bolivia’s neighbors as well as the rest of the world look on with eager if not anxious eyes.
Author - Brandon Knopp has spent time in South America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. He studied documentary practices and the philosophy of history at New York University. He travels to meet people of different cultural backgrounds and to experience unfamiliar ways of life. He documents some of his travel memories at his website.
There are plenty more opportunities in the rest of Bolivia. You can trek in the Andes, relax by the shores of Lake Titicaca, visit volcanoes or salt lakes, or explore the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin, rich with distinctive jungle wildlife.
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Kaya gives you the opportunity to volunteer abroad, learn a language abroad, gain valuable work experience overseas, take a gap year or become TEFL qualified. With over 200 volunteer projects and work experience opportunities in more than 20 countries across the globe, Kaya can offer you a world of choice!
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World Unite! offer a wide range of affordable, yet quality internship and volunteering placements in Cochabamba, La Paz and rural areas of Bolivia, e.g. social work, development work, medical & nursing, psychology, environmental, culture, marketing, media. Stay with indigenous communities; learn Spanish and indigenous languages. There is high flexibility in terms of duration and starting date.
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FSD is working on the ground in Cochabamba and surrounding rural villages to expand and develop the capabilities of local nonprofit organizations and communities that are working to implement sustainable solutions in Bolivia.
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Volunteering Solutions
Bolivia is the only landlocked Andean country; it is called the Tibet of the Americas, the highest and most isolated country of Latin America. The country combines awe-inspiring land scapes, colonial treasures, colorful indigenous cultures and remnants of mysterious ancient civilizations. Volunteering Solutions has Volunteer Programs in Santa Cruz city of Bolivia.
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GoEco - Volunteer Abroad
Volunteer in Bolivia with vulnerable children in an orphanage or kindergarten or join us in a unique wildlife conservation program to preserve species from extinction with volunteers from around the world.
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United Planet
United Planet strives to create a global community that understands, respects, and supports one another. We offer personalized volunteer experiences in 38 countries lasting from 1 week to 1 year. To date, our volunteers have contributed over 800,000 hours of service to support education, healthcare, environmental efforts, and community development all over the world.
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CrossContinental
We offer affordable volunteer and intern abroad programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The programs are customized for you according to your needs (with flexible work schedule and start date). Affordable program fees start from only USD 180 (accommodation & meals included). Our programs are designed to help local communities while at the same time providing valuable learning and cultural ...
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Frontier
Explore remote and spectacular landscapes, work with deprived and deserving communities, or campaign for wildlife care and conservation on a travel adventure you’ll never forget.
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Volunteers For Peace
Help communities by joining Volunteers For Peace international volunteer placements in Croatia. Participants can experience the unique culture and interact with the locals while staying in the city of Zagreb for two to four weeks. This program is open to motivated and flexible American philanthropists.
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Child Family Health International
CFHI Bolivia programs offer participants the opportunity to learn more about health issues that transcend national borders, class, ethnicity, and cultural divisions. By participating in CFHI’s global health education in Bolivia, you will gain a unique insight into healthcare systems of developing countries and increase your cultural competency.
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LEAPNOW: Transforming Education
LEAPNOW aspires to keep our programs on the cutting edge of human evolution. We feel that we can have the most positive impact on the world by working in the area of education – which ideally is concerned with transforming and expanding the consciousness of our students.
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