Bolivia

 

19 04, 2024

Planet Versus Plastics: The Climate Crisis, Girls and Ice Cream

2026-05-28T17:28:11-04:00Tags: |

At 14, Senobia was left to take care of herself and her six brothers after her parents were forced to leave Bolivia due to financial hardship. She worked as a substitute teacher for children and eventually paid for a gastronomy course that changed her life. At 24, she opened the country’s first ecologically certified ice cream parlour, a solution inspired by droughts that caused her family’s potato crops to fail. She uses natural products sourced from women in her community, trains and employs single mothers and others with limited access to resources, and works with 400 community members on an initiative to plant 1,000 pines each year. Her leadership and entrepreneurship highlight the creativity of girls and young women and their commitment to supporting communities in the face of catastrophe. Her story also reflects a world in which young people are forced to confront a climate crisis fueled by greed and indifference. International consensus holds that countries most responsible for global warming should bear the burden of redress, as the harshest impacts are often felt in regions that contributed the least. Yet diverse representation and meaningful engagement remain lacking in climate decision-making spaces. Climate disasters expose girls to heightened risks of sexual violence, poverty, and child marriage, while girls continue to be excluded from conversations about the climate crisis. Supporting girls’ activism and ensuring they are reflected in national climate plans is therefore critical to achieving just and effective climate action.

17 08, 2022

Recovering biodiversity in Brazil’s pioneering Atlantic Forest through conservation and ecological restoration

2025-03-24T18:42:00-04:00Tags: , |

Lake Titicaca is home to the giant Titicaca water frog, an endangered species that is rapidly dying due to poaching and pollution. Indigenous women scientists and community leaders are spearheading the initiative to protect it and treat Lake Titicaca to restore its resilience and health through various organizations, including research organizations and Mujeres Unidas, a group of women committed to saving the lake. Teresa Camacho Badani, a herpetologist studying the Titicaca water frogs, has rescued frogs to hold in captivity, ensuring the species does not go extinct. Elvira Chicani, a community leader in Perka Norte, helps maintain the local frog population by preventing poaching and educating community members about the species’s importance. Environmental engineer Elizabeth Zenteno emphasizes that Lake Titicaca cannot heal from pollution and degradation without people’s help. These women have committed themselves to protecting the various facets of the lake, its health, and its ecosystem.

13 04, 2021

CASA Y GAGGA – Agua, Derechos E Igualdad

2021-04-13T17:49:14-04:00Tags: |

Though South America has many water sources, many communities in the region go without sufficient clean drinking water. Lack of water puts a serious strain on women’s lives as well as their ability to farm. This is particularly true of Bolivian women living in the Chaco area, a region that is dry for many months of the year. During the dry period, communities rely on the muddy water that remains in the bed of the Rio Grande. Purifying the water with a local plant helps but it yields a product that is far from potable. The CASA Socioenvironmental Fund is an organization that runs many projects across South America with the objective of empowering local women so they can better serve their community and further environmental justice. The projects include water storage tanks for specific regions, developing farmers associations, and supporting indigenous female leaders. Video Credit: Fundo Casa Socioambiental. Caption: Video is in Spanish, but English subtitles are available.

25 04, 2018

‘Climate Change Is Making Us Stronger’ — Resilient Bolivian Women Adapt To Global Warming

2023-03-29T11:32:21-04:00Tags: |

Climate change is affecting the lives and livelihoods of Bolivian indigenous women. One such affected community, located in Cochabamba Valley, has traditionally grown potatoes for sustenance. Rising temperatures, shortening of the rainy season, drought, decreasing predictability of the weather and more extreme weather events have led to a dwindling potato crop of lesser quality. The women have responded to this problem by diversifying the crops planted. Some peasant women are also joining labor unions, which provides greater economic independence, mutual aid and a means of voicing their concerns. The Bolivian Institute for Empowerment of Farmer Communities is also a key player, providing education concerning ecological fertilizers and leadership training for women. Photo credit: Sanne Derks

22 02, 2018

Indigenous Women Cope With Climate Change

2020-11-07T17:51:11-05:00Tags: |

Bolivian women are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change as it is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and suffers from one of the worst patterns of gender inequality.  Women in indigenous farmer communities are one of the hardest hit from climate change as agricultural production is put under peril leading to lower food security and higher food prices. As food supply becomes volatile, women, who are responsible for the provision of food to their family, are challenged to prepare enough nutritious food. Furthermore, men are pushed to migrate to find work in rural areas or coca plantations leaving women behind to raise children.  The government and NGOs, such as INCCA, have been taking initiative in empowering women and teaching communities how to mitigate the effects of climate change. These initiatives started ten years ago with NGOs such as INCCA and Solidagro who implement conservation and food security programs. Photo Credit: Sanne Derks/Al Jazeera  

22 03, 2017

No Job Is Impossible For Women

2017-10-14T16:11:39-04:00Tags: |

Soledad Miranda is among the emerging group of women construction workers of La Paz, Bolivia. She started working at age seven and received no schooling, like many other indigenous girls in her community. She survived an abusive marriage and she migrated with her 12 children to La Paz. First, she washed clothes and sold soda and beer in the streets. After four years in La Paz, she managed to find a job as a construction worker for the municipal government. Along with over 450 other women, she received training in painting, plumbing, coatings/insulations, tiling and remodeling. Construction work is no longer a man’s job in La Paz, it is increasingly done by women who are trained and economically empowered. Today, she dreams of building her own construction company. Photo credit: UN Women/David Villegas

10 06, 2016

From Child Laborer To Women’s Rights Defender

2017-07-16T14:07:02-04:00Tags: |

Lucrecia Huayhua Choque, an Indigenous Aymara woman, was sent away from her community in Cocapacabana at the age of eight to the city of La Paz where she worked long hours without pay. She returned to her community at the age of 22, when she was forced into marriage. After a lifetime of difficulties, she was selected to participate in the UN-funded School for Women Leaders, where she learned about women's rights and gender equality. Now she is a passionate advocate for women, traveling to various urban and rural communities to fight against violence and exploitation with education. Photo credit: OMAK

9 11, 2015

Land Collective Empowers Bolivian Women

2017-07-17T16:47:43-04:00Tags: |

The women-led community of María Auxiliadora, on the outskirts of Cochabamba, promotes women’s land rights and offers women a safe place and economic independence. María Eugenia, current President of the community, came here with her son to escape her violent ex-husband and build a new life. Photo credit: Carey Averbrook  

30 10, 2015

Confronting Women, Violence And Climate Change In Bolivia

2017-10-30T03:03:40-04:00Tags: |

The women of María Auxiliadora, outside of Cochabamba, Bolivia are demonstrating to the world what resilience looks like, from their efforts in climate change adaptation and ecological farming to their work to confront abuse, violence against women and patriarchy. In this piece we hear from Bolivian women’s activist Leny Olivera and photographer Carey Averbook, who spent several months documenting the women-led collective community. Photo credit: Carey Averbook

17 05, 2015

Latin America: Women In Resistance And Resilience

2017-10-08T22:20:23-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous women in Latin America are at the forefront of efforts to protect human rights and Mother Earth. The women of the Network of Women in Defence of Mother Earth in Bolivia, such as Margarita Aquino, and Doña Máxima of Peru, are leading the charge to oppose extractive industries. Women like María Eugenia are part of intentional community of Mária Auxiliadora in Bolivia,  educating on how violence against women is connected to violence against the Earth. Photo credit: Photo credit: Maxima Acuña

26 03, 2015

First Solar Engineer Grandmother For Mosetén Nation In Bolivia

2017-10-23T20:10:10-04:00Tags: |

Maria Vani of the Mosetén Nation is Bolivia’s first Indigenous solar engineer and resident solar grandmother. Through training at Barefoot College in India, Vani now installs and maintains solar panels for rural and Indigenous community members in Villa Concepcion, offering a cleaner, more affordable energy alternative. Photo credit: WECAN International

26 10, 2014

What Does Genuine, Legitimate Participation By Women Look Like?

2017-10-26T23:16:25-04:00Tags: |

This powerful piece written from the frontlines of the People’s Climate Summit in Lima by Leny Olivera examines what authentic inclusion of women in the climate movement looks like. She offers a true-life example of a just transition to a sustainable and more inclusive system in the form of Community María Auxiliadora, in Bolivia. Furthermore, the author points to that inextricable link between extractive industries (or the causes of climate change) and the violence against and subjugation of women. Photo credit: The Democracy Center

16 10, 2014

Climate Change Is About Women: Sowing Resilience In Peri-Urban Bolivia

2017-10-16T23:01:40-04:00Tags: |

This profile of the women-lead Maria Auxiliadora community in Cocabamba, Bolivia, highlights the innovative leadership of local women to fight both patriarchy and climate change. For example, Doña Irene Cardozo farms her own land and keeps her own home, finding support in this community after escaping a violent household. Doña Rosa Angulo speaks about learning community and solidarity via collectively dehydrating vegetables for consumption and sale.  Photo credit: Carey Averbook

1 03, 2014

Women Are Climate-Resilient In Bolivia

2017-08-22T09:03:37-04:00Tags: |

Rosa Angulo is one of many women in her community demonstrating resilience to the impacts of climate change. Rosa has been growing her own food for years and now preserves many of her vegetables, ensuring food is available for her family at all times. She began dehydrating vegetables after ongoing occurrences of drought and local food shortages. Despite the challenges of climate change, Rosa is able to grow and eat her own organic produce. Photo credit: Carey Averbook

27 10, 2013

Interview With Carmen Capriles of Reacción Climática, Bolivia

2017-10-27T16:18:14-04:00Tags: |

Senior Advisor on Climate and Energy at WECF, Claire Greensfelder interviews Carmen Capriles,the co-founder of Reacción Climática, an NGO in Bolivia that focuses on raising awareness to climate change locally and engages mostly young people in climate action. Capriles talks about her path as a young activist in college and her partnership with 350.org before founding Reacción Climática. Her organization understands the importance of the more vulnerable groups to climate change, such as indigenous peoples, youth, and women, and acts on it by conducting research at the COPs and on the ground in Bolivia.

27 10, 2004

Feminist Perspectives Towards Transforming Economic Power: A Women’s Rights Perspective From Bolivia

2017-10-27T01:51:06-04:00Tags: |

"Buen Vivir: An Introduction From a Women's Rights Perspective in Bolivia", written by Martha Eugenia Lanza Meneses, a gender research fellow at Fundación Colectivo Cabildeo Bolivia, and edited by the Association for Women in Development, is part of a series leading up to the 12th AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development promoting different actions on development being implemented by feminist groups all over the world. This specific report is about Bolivia and its concept of buen vivir (living well, in English) which is the idea of protecting nature and its original form, shifting production and consumption to a different kind of development. The article presents the use of buen vivir in Bolivia's public policies, and introduces the concept of gender by highlighting the patriarchal structure of decision-making in various communities. Photo credit: AWID

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