One week in, La Paz still holds itself as a
foreign and intriguing place. Despite this, I was gently surprised by how
understated the differences are here. South America, often seen as a wild and
untamed land, delivers all the silent expectations of a stir-crazed westerner,
in the brash yet unassuming way which seems so integral to the culture of
Bolivia.

Marcia lead us to the room which was to be
our home for the next three months, the apartment was homely and inviting,
though small. The next day we travelled on the teleferico, or cable cart, back
into the city centre and to our office, to meet the other volunteers. The day was filled by introductions to the
Country, its blessings and its dangers; general formalities which seemed to
make us all both eager and impatient to begin work on our actual placements.
We were split into our respective groups
and the training for the rest of the week was spent in a similar state of
limbo, adapting to the city and assimilating what lay ahead. In the later part
of the week I went with my group, which focussed on youth empowerment, to two
different schools in the impoverished uptown districts of La Paz. The first
school was buried behind a dusty winding road, far above the city centre. The
teachers all introduced themselves in Spanish, and their greetings were
translated by one of our In-Country Volunteers.
What struck me initially was the beauty of
the place, framed by the mountains and overlooking the rest of La Paz, the humility
which this school presented seemed unavoidable. After a cursory look around the
computer room, library, and greenhouses which the last cohort had built we were
ushered in to meet the solitary cook, a lone, forever smiling woman who
provides for roughly 150 children each day.
The following week the schedule slid into
place, and we were split into groups of three to focus on different tasks
throughout the week. I was working with two Bolivians, which allowed me to
greatly improve my Spanish, and was not too daunting as they were perfectly
able to translate English.
Our tasks ranged from pruning tomatoes,
cooking bread, and running human rights workshops for children between the two
schools. Once a week, we also headed to community outreach points where
children who weren’t in school are given constructive support.
Each task proved rewarding, though the
effect is cumulative, and it is important to remind oneself that it is only
through incremental efforts that a genuine difference can be made to improve
the infrastructure for these children. This being said, it is important for the
volunteers themselves to be part of a humanitarian organisation, allowing
everyone to have hope for a global society which is more equal.
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