Solidarity Blog of our
Secretary, Alberto Jiménez, and Pilar Martínez, medical associates, in Bolivia in The Holy Week
2008
| Story | Day |
| We hoped that to traverse of the binnacle we have obtained, not only contaros our experience, but to have been able to shape another reality and to take us to all to a reflection on the enormous social and economic inequalities that exist in the world. We can deciros from here that is possible to collaborate in the improvement of this situation with small efforts, reason why we commit ourselves to leave a door opened with these people. Pediros that you do not forget them. Thanks to all to follow and to support to us to us. | |
| We enjoyed and we took advantage of the day with the father Miguel, is a Peruvian priest as we told you in the other days that have initiated in the communities near Sucre projects of construction of schools and the future hospital. In Aceituno Pampas that we were Tuesday there was no school now is not only the building but 130 children are escolarizados. Before they could not go to the school by the distance of Sucre. We have been all the morning and after the noon with and a Salesiana Sister. We have spoken all the projects as much of Quila Quila as from the aid to dining room Aceituno the Pampas. We were seeing the medicines that are needed and all the projects that we spoke in Sucre, all the morning with them. Soon in the evening with Sonia one lady very given who is in a project of children without home and we have contacted with her to mainly send by container clothes for children and medicines for arthritis for greater people. A strong hug. Pilar and Alberto. Sunday we prepared the return already, we will be with Sonia to soon give it to clothes and something of medicines and the preparations for the flight to Santa Cruz, soon to Sao Paulo and finally to Madrid. Kisses to all. Happy aim of the Shared in common Blog to Bolivia. |
La Paz, Saturday 22 of March
The engineers responsible for the construction of a hospital in the community Aceituno Pampas explain the phases to them of the construction
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I am Pilar and I am going to tell the day to you
of today, is to say to the adventure del Friday 21 of March.
Yesterday at night after contacting with Richard, make we have
left in the morning in a market to 7:30. This morning there we
were loaded until the eyes with our gifts, is that it was a full
market enormous of people, a very unsuitable place to be with
people who we have not seen in the life, luckily we have not
taken in finding him, to the director of this ONG (Fundacio'n
Andean Chacana) with 18 añitos of age. Soon the priest comes
Daniel, whose gestures expose to a very sensible and expert
person of the friendships between natives. We mounted in a full
van of natives, Daniel almost who nor directs the word to us, a
quite tense situation, so Alberto and I have begun to joke to
relax the situation because we are in its hands and in the end
have been or. We have arrived 2 hours later at the town from
Huayhuasi and have seen the destructions of the meteorological
effect "the Girl": destroyed plantations, flooded houses... We
have made enough photos, verified the construction of the
latrines, of the potable water tanks... A food has prepared us
that we have not had left more remedy than to eat although they
had said to us that he was dangerous, but in that situation it
was impossible to reject, Alberto and I surrounded by more than
90 people, all hoping to that we used food to be able to eat
they. Let us hope that we have not swallowed any rare tiny beast...
We have had a meeting with the representatives of the community
having explained who we are, how we made our work and that we
are workers and who we removed free hollows to be able to work
and to help them. Trying to find solutions to its poverty and
speaking of the tomato cultures, I believe that my father has
given a warning me and I have explained to them that why the
tomatos are not packaged to sell or to be tomatos all the year
old, they have flipado..., and as he were also inspired I
decided a brother who does this and I have proposed to them to
incubate hen eggs to remove chickens, as much eggs as to eat, to
make broths..., also has enchanted them the idea... After speaking of businesses, the divine thing has come from the day, making us feel KINGS BY a DAY. They have joined all the children, have recited us diverse popular songs and later they have put us a crown of flowers, serpentines by the head, a branch of flowers... You will already see the photos... Another peculiar activity that we have made has been the one to make a soccer match, the girls we represented Spain, the boys to Bolivia, I have put golazo that I do not create me nor. Who has won? Ah, find out... After all this has I throw to raise to us the calvario, the highest mountain where they have punctured two crossings, wonderful views, so at the moment we are full of earth until the eyes, burned by the sun and the destroyed lips of the dryness. The climate this way is very variable, you happen to have much cold and to need shelter to be of short sleeve. As far as the food, very different from which we are customary, they mix bananas, with rice, meat... very sharp, many spices... We are well in spite of everything and we have the sensation to be carrying out all the activities that we brought prepared. We sent a hug enormous of Alberto and Pilar and you continue sending that good energy that is coming to us very well. |
La Paz, Friday 21 of March
Alberto and Pilar, first by the left of above and down, in the seat of the IPDS Mosoj Ñan. Hernán is the second of above by the left. |
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We raised seven and the average one to be left in
Sucre with Doña Rosa one lady who after a past with many
problems, is very concienciada to remove from the street to many
children that brings very many cake samples and doughnuts to us
with many flavors, all thus natural, as I said to you in
previous days and wants that us we bring them for Spain. It is
preparing that recipe book and its objective is to mount that
bakery to give an office them and simultaneously they are fed.
Also Doña Rosa teaches many samples to us of crafts that his
husband for his future sale does. We bring for the return
different models from congratulations navideñas all artisan ones.
We took leave with much pain but with the confidence and
security that the project follows strong and has been an energy
injection. We gave a donation of one Mrs. of Madrid, which they
will be destined to continue with the school of Quila Quila,
where we visited after three hours of trip and those mountains.
We go away of Sucre leaving part of us, and much illusion to
continue, we are going to be strange much to Hernán that is
artist and musical and now it is dedicated to ong. Also we will
miss to Carlos and his woman who have given great lessons us of
delivery. In general they have given to much force and affection
to us and we have given everything what we took inside until
almost the exhaustion but compensates. To pound march leaving
itself a part of her in house of the family of Milton and with
Milton, is an incredible boy whom it knows clearly that it is
going to obtain his dreams. We go to the airport and we arrived well right with as much goodbye, almost when entering the airplane it stops a boy and it says that it gives a newspaper to us, was Mario a canillita chaval that we knew in the Central Market Monday that studies and works and feeds two brothers. It arrived at the soul its affection and its goodbye. To pound did not stop to cry and too much was touched, they were too many emotions for the five days in Sucre and they came to the mind many images and faces from people who fight to leave with all their forces. I will return to Sucre in August, Pillar will be engaged in its Carmen daughter. We arrived at noon at La Paz and after settling, we prepared everything for Friday which we are going to go to the Huayhuasi community, that is to two hours of La Paz very is contaminated the river reason why they have to us counted, are born some children with six fingers, and have been with them because the priest Daniel and the director of the center of children, Richard are going to teach the zone to us and we are going to to date see all the done projects, the water installation, the mingitorios, baths that have become and the water pumps that have settled in all the community like to verify the gifts of kings. We eat with them and they have to us prepared a food with the indigenous community and songs of the boys with soccer match including and knowing the indigenous leaders. We have been to the seven and average in the morning in the market Rodriguez who have said to us that she will be to top because people in La Paz madruga to buy the ingredients of the very famous food of Good Friday by his twelve plates. Of the market we will take a van of those shared and varied until the community where they hope to us with illusion. By the way the children of the communities that we have visited these days do not stop to thank and to dedicate to a special affection, as they say, to our President Carlos Lopez who is continuously present in all. We are going to sleep after a nocturnal stroll to give it all morning, we already began to prepare the two last bags of scholastic material and soaps that with the aid and generosity of all ours we have been able to bring. To pound goes prepared to take the tension to the children, also I am organizing the soccer balls that as much wish. We will continue sharing adventures... A hug. Pilar and Alberto. |
Sucre, Thursday 20 of March
Pilar and a member of the Canillitas, traveling newspaper salesmen |
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We began early like all the days, already begins
to notice the fatigue. We visited the central market and the
market farmer of Sucre. We see two canillitas children with whom
we had been so that they score at the football team and aim that
makes sport. We went to the Seat of the Arms or 25 of May of
Sucre, we see a group of children who have been with Hugo, the
leader which they have the selling newspaper children, us we put
it in the pocket through Milton in order that it ends up
convincing to the rest of children that were with him to go to
eight to the soccer school and also to insist to them on the
importance that has taking the credentials. To pound is with
Ingrid, in charge in the seat of the government of the subject
of sort and after than one hour speaking more with her they are
going to be in contact with the enemy to make a study of the
incidence of cancer of uterus neck and to present/display it to
it to the government for a program of precocious prevention of
this pathology. To pound for very good migas with Milton and its
family, specially with the mother of Milton, a woman very
fighter and with much force, and the daughter of Milton that is
of the age of its Carmen daughter. By the way To pound delivery
average suitcase of clothes to two families between clothes of
Carmen and clothes hers. In my case I also begin to notice that
I have left less underclothes and I begin to be without clothes
but the truth is that enchants to us. We were with Carlos who is
a companion of ong of here, the lawyer who I commented to you
that in addition it enchants the work to him with the leather
and is an expert in leather shop by voluntary military services
which did, we were in studying the possibility of that factory
of work of leather and imitation jewellery. Later we visited a
family who knows Milton with many problems social risk and
missing children and invite to us to eat, incredible experience.
I am in the evening, with a friend of Carlos who also works in Courts and we organized ourselves to support to them in a project proposal before the Court to avoid that the children work in the street, and we reviewed the one that is going to present/display this week on the obligation to register to children in the registry. The time in Sucre is or much much cold heat or, which more usually eats rice and everything with red pepper, very sharp meat, enchants the beer to them paceña. We felt that we were like in house, behave with us of an incredible form, with very many details. Later we see the small leader of the indigenous community that we visited the previous day that comes to dismiss to us because Thursday mid-morning we are going away to La Paz to continue in the other community. We are prepared ourselves to the adventure of La Paz, Sucre is very colonial, with much mark of the Spanish time and with many resistances. We counted on your energy, because the exhaustion, the dawns, these evils of heights and the mountain ascents, they compensate with which trasmiten all the people who we are knowing that fights to improve day to day and to leave conditions that are totally unjust. We noticed the support of which they create in this project, perhaps because of a very easy form within very just a short time these children they will not take average hour and in going to the school nor will go barefoot. It depends on all. Pilar and Alberto. Hugs. |
Sucre, Wednesday 19 of March
Alberto and Hernán with the children of a community
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| To the 6:30 a.m. we left to visit the school of soccer composed by a pile of chavales that train three times to the week with a trainer who is called Jacob, who has the boys very excited and according to we saw train very hard. They are small in situation of risk by familiar problems that live in moved away districts of Sucre and if it is not through the young sport could finish being glue, esnifadores. What it more called the attention to us was to see how they made an effort and that joy had above, how of they were stimulated and how they thanked for the sport material, the balls and equipment that we took. So and as we related in previous days the soccer school has like objective that can mainly get to be great figures in professional equipment and great people. On the 8:30 a.m., after seeing them train, fuimos going of the community Aceituno Pampas, in a light truck in which we were gathering a los that is made long long walks every day to be able to arrive at their small school, as they say here, some become about 10 daily km and they have risen to six to help in the house or to sell newspapers. We arrived at the Small school "Santísima Trinidad" where what but it hits, aside from the joy to listen happy children, it is to see as it is the school in construction and as the wheelbarrows classrooms full of or cement work with, beams in the patios, baths without finishing, etc. Then the father Miguel, who is a Peruvian priest, has been the one in charge to initiate the construction of this school because there was more than 180 children than they did not go to the school then Sucre is too remote. They receive to us with very many affection, we visited each classroom, we see the illusion and the effort, also calls the hurt attention the great amount to us of that the children have and costritas. Many if they did not eat in the school do not eat more than what they give them little by the houses or that in their house can do to the night. We see as they prepare a casserole for 50 children although it touches just a little bit of rice each one. We gave to scholastic material and many soaps, bandage and gauzes to them that need urgently. Also we give many medicines them that needed. The director of the school and the president of the Corner, one lady who is indigenous, viste her typical suits and is very tender and adorable, and speaking from the heart, nos gives a letter where they explain its necessities to us among them the medicine kit for first aid, the scholastic, material furniture about cleaning... but what worries more to us is that as of this month of April no longer they give the donations to them that took receiving a year ago of food (oil, flour, grain, rice) because to Father Miguel have change assignments to him and they are reducing the aid little by little to them which they received. Tremendous and chilling. These children, que have face and existence To pound and for my and is not simple photographies, many told different things us from their day to day, that became crazy with a caramel or to see themselves in the digital camera. As they are not fed as it is necessary they are going to have a serious problem of health and the worse thing is than in these weeks already they retire to them definitively little that they gave them. They asked for for that reason aid to us for foods. We took leave of the professors and of the children, by the way the teachers are people very given to their work and very resigned and as they do not wait for anything any thing comes to them well. Some practically barefoot followed children to us in the light truck but without losing its energy and joy Later we saw the land that is going to them to yield to the ONG Mosoj Ñan - New Way that is level a very pretty one and located very well where it is the dream of which we bet for that reason in constructing the soccer school that will include boarding school, factories to form in offices, crafts, work in leather, the bakery factory that will be essential so that besides to learn an office it works in the feeding of the small ones with healthy and natural products. Objective of local ours contraparte, the ONG Mosoj Ñan - New Way, with which we worked two years ago already, is not to send money immediately, but than the people they work to form and to give them to the tools and the cane to fish to para labrar a future. To be investing to mount those factories and one of members of her, Carlos, know enough good world leather and goes to form to chavales so that they learn that office among other many Later we went of way to the Quila-Quila community, that means in quechua Luna-Luna, as we could not pass by the river still have then not put the bridge, we had to go by the longest way, although it is a way very it last and is necessary to practically happen between five mountains, in principle was then no la camioneta problem left us in half of the way and there to us it gathered another mobility, as they call here, and us it took to the community although the trip is hard more and if you go in the bathtub, as they call to the discovered part. The problem came when when arriving at a zone, after passing the first mountain, we were whereupon they are cleaning with a tractor and machines the way and we must lower a mountain to raise another one to us and to pass a bridge to raise another hill and there supposedly us recoge another mobility then our van could not pass the way. That passage that I have related we did the five that we went full of loaded knapsacks and some took some box because we had to distribute the material scholastic, the medicines and everything what it had been bought for kings. Most incredible it was than after hour and average making that passage and when arriving at the point where they gathered to us we saw ladies of about 70 years full of coats with I generate of which they sell and were two mothers with those coats and his you drink hung that they had to make the duro e infrahumano way that we did with ascents to the return that nor for mountain climbers. Everything because they were cleaning and because the governments do not worry about these needed people. The way in van the first and great long walk we did it with four brothers between 5 and 10 years that were walking until we took to them in the van and usually walk average hour and every day to go to the school. That day a little andaron less although soon by the cleaning of the way it touched caminar más to them of one hour and thus every day. After another hour in other mobility in a way that all the short while we gave boats in the part of back we arrived at a precious and full community from amiable people, they taught the school to us that is to means to do and have the same problem that in the previous school which also it was to means to do and needs scholastic, vidrieras and much material furniture of hygiene. We know the leader of the zone, it makes delivery of a list of necessities and it presents/displays to the director of the school a charming gentleman and in the way to another small community but where they are constructing that new school we know about 8 children between 6 and 12 years that live in single Quila Quila, a house average in ruins, and cook every day, wash their clothes and the tasks are made in the morning of the home from the five and soon they go away to the school, this is because its village takes to but of two hours and average. Volvemos to eight from afternoon and nine we arrived at the way that mobility left us and we had to at night raise those three mountains including the bridge with a viejita of about 70 years loaded of flowers and apples that sells, pero tuvo the luck to find us and after the long walk of but of one hour it gathered the other van and we returned to 22,30 to Sucre. This it was the day of Tuesday and the day to day of many children and women of those zones he is well long and hard, we have que to be conscious of another realities and not to be left to us before the injustices and knowledge quiet that between all can be changed the things. We already told Wednesday you 19, day of the father very celebrated here, where we will visit among other things dull children lustra and will look for the way to look for those shelters to them. With affection for all. Pilar and Alberto. |
Sucre, Tuesday 18 of March
Alberto and Hernán in the trip of return of the community Quila Quila
Pilar exerting of cook in the preparation of the communal food in the community Aceituno Pampas
Bolivians making on foot the trip between
mountains to arrive at the community Quila Quila during hours
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We already told you, the very intense trip but
well, Sao Paolo without problem. In Santa Cruz we had some
problem but we left alive..., already we will tell you. We
arrived at 16,30 to sucre and were everything afternoon with
Milton and his planning the week, that we will close Wednesday
traveling to the mines of silver of the city of Potosí where we
will know first hand the life of the mining children who get to
be hours and hours in tunnels to much depth only with water and
chewing cocaine leaves, in their vegetal form is a chewed very
power plant, like only food, until Thursday in the morning we go
away until La Paz. We arrived at Sucre, and nothing else to make contact with enemy with the zone, we began to notice the change and the difference with Santa Cruz. In Sucre in addition to being a much more pretty city and with I touch colonial, begins to notice the amount of boys, specially young, who work in the street. It gathers Milton to us, the president of the ONG Mosoj Ñan de Sucre with which we collaborated, meaning the translation to Castilian of quechua "the New Way". The Institution with that we collaborated here forms Milton Moor who was a boy who worked in the street and studied until being engineer, comprised of "canillitas" the young calls, these children who work in the street and which they begin to work some with five years, they rise on the four and average in the morning and as they live in the remotest districts then to five and something begins to gather newspapers and opposite of the Daily Mail of Sucre because they begin to separate newspapers, to join parts with others, and on the six it is the hour to distribute. The commission that takes to sell each newspaper does not arrive at a Bolivian peso (1 Bolivian = 0.08) and usually they sell about 30 to the day by boy. They take its credentials, as they call it here, that are the identification of which they are young newspaper salesmen for if it happens something to them have safe. In afternoon of Sunday, we met with the rest of the members of the Institution, people very varied who form a good equipment and we were preparing the tasks that we were going to do these days until Thursday. They value very many the aids made for the inscription and Christmas presents (Project Kings Magos) of children (Project Identity). In Bolivia there is a great percentage of people who are without registering or badly registered by errors of the government. We have contributed in the different projects aids to be able to register to great amount of children, in concrete several hundreds of them. Instead of becoming by administrative route they do it by judicial route and the transactions are eternizan and in the end the people farmers choose to survive and to leave ahead in the food and the sustenance, being something secondary registering itself, which entails that they do not exist for the society and they do not have social right, sanitary, educative, etc. Between the visits of the week, by a side to the zone of the canillitas, selling newspaper children that already we have spoken, the dull children lustra and clean cars. Also it visits several zones and isolated districts to give capacity to 16 families whom they love to mount a familiar store to have like a species of economato and power thus to survive the brutal ascent of the prices in the basic products that undergoes east country, something similar to which it happens in Spain but here the ascents of the prices are daily! nonannual. After four hours of preparations and to see projects we were for the following day to 06:30 hours to visit the canillitas children who are in the heat of work to those hours, soon to go to the school after finishing working. Hardest it is to verify than the government sees normal that the chavales work and they integrate it within the culture of here. We went to rest to prepare us for Monday. |
Sucre, Monday 17 of March
Alberto and Pilar in the educative School of soccer del estadium Mother country del market farmer of Sucre |
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Today Monday visits canillitas children, they
sell newspapers and they study, and limpiabotas and clean cars,
with the money that we commanded to them bought scholastic
material and very were thanked for. Interview with the
journalist who prepares for morning a meeting. Interview with
the other journalist who now we will see him. We are very
contentments, we finished putting in Internet then at night was
no network in the hotel yesterday. People are very smart,
Milton, Hernán and Carlos who is a lawyer who solves all the
problems of registries of the children. The agenda is beastly,
we are enjoying much but we took from six and the average one in
the morning with Milton and are the 16,30 and we still have left
three activities. We began seeing the canillitas children that
they are those that sell newspapers between 6 and 20 years and
rise to four and average in the morning and soon they go to the
school, soon we saw the young ones cleans boots and those that
they clean the cars, take all their accreditation to thus be
able to have right to medical insurance. Soon we have been with
a journalist who works in the daily Mail, friend of Milton that
will prepare an encounter for Tuesday in the evening and soon we
have been preparing several activities with Hilda, that is a
girl of the indigenous communities that we are going to visit
tomorrow. Before we were with another journalist who works in
Loyola radio and spoke with him and soon we have to do it in the
transmitter. The one worries to them mainly about the Bolivians
in Spain, also this boy has a project of young referees. Soon we
have been to completes hour with Doña Rosa and Pablo who is
coordinating of families who are in difficult districts and we
will take material to them. Hilda has with a trinitario father
with a project of the children of the indigenous communities
very interesting, that are constructing a dining room. We have
organized for morning the trip to the communities, first goes
away in car, car, and soon walking, it is between rivers and
speak quechua. To seven in the morning we have been with the
children of the football team to know them and to throw
partidillo. We will follow connected as soon as we have awhile
frees.
They gather us
to the 6:30 h and we are going away to see work to the
canillitas. The surprising thing is that there are children of
five years, many from 12 to 14 that after placing newspapers
they take the bicycle and they begin to sell newspapers, but
also is people of 34 who have been more than twenty years
selling periodic. We contacted with delegate of them, is
peculiar, has delegate of association or union of children
selling of newspaper, which it has about 40 years that are
called Dionisio and taken care of of the children and also there
is a delegate of the smallest canillitas, than it is 13 years
old and it has much charisma for the young person who is. It
observes that they do not have childhood, that has aged and the
worse thing, than seems that the boys of 10 are 17 years old...
Soon they are going away to study and the work cannot need nor a
day because they clear the position to them. We visited the
affluent market soon early and knew Lucas a boy 14 years who
carries a great amount of weight distributed in several coats,
destroying itself their deluded back and then already is giving
but functions to him and also rises to five in the morning to be
able to put in the car of the distributors of sort and foods.
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Sucre, Domingo 16 of March
Alberto doing educative and sport delivery del material |
| After a long and harassed trip of more than 40 hours in that they have done two scales, one in Sao Paulo and other one in Santa Cruz of the Saw, our companions Alberto and Pilar already are in Sucre, one of two capitals of Bolivia, accompanied by Milton Mora, president of the ONG Mosoj Ñan our local counterpart in the zone. | Come On Sunday, the 16th of March |
