APRIL 2005 - UPDATE TO THE GLOBAL BOARD
From: Gloria Querejezu, ACLO
Update from Bolivia
I. INTRODUCTION
The Hunger Project and ACLO have worked in partnership since 1997, based on the empowerment and people’s capacity building provided by Radio ACLO combined with the direct interaction of the people with trained “People’s Reporters.” In 2004, we launched a new 3-year strategy to greatly increase the number of People’s Reporters by training rural teenagers in the social communication skills necessary.
This report highlights the advances in the execution of the strategy; a strategy that is fundamentally oriented in the development of educative processes, social communication, and rural youth development, specifically in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí y Tarija.
Considering that the project was launched in January 2004, this report corresponds to the first year of its execution.
In the first place, this report will present information about the current situation of our country, specifically in the Southern region, and the response of ACLO within this context.
Secondly, this report will describe the achievements of the project and detail the activities that contributed to these results.
1.1. Analysis of the Current State of Affairs of the Nation
During 2004, the Bolivian state and society was overshadowed by uncertainty and hope, both of which can be attributed to moments of profound social, political and economic crisis. This year, the government and the different social sectors of the nation clashed and confronted each other, the more recent confrontations provoked by the labors of the traditional political parties, specifically the Legislative Branch made decisions and dictated laws that did not satisfy social demands, using their legislation to inhibit the advances being made by the government and the social sectors.
The following detail important facts about the last year:
On February 20, Reforms to the Political Constitution of the State was passed, opening channels that gave way to the introduction of the 2003 October Agenda.The government decides to bring to fruition a binding Referendum on Natural Gas. The National Congress, after various delays, passed the referendum and assigned its execution to the National Electoral Court, designating the referendum to take place by July 18th.
The Governments presents various issues regarding the Natural Gas Referendum, which generate a varied and polarized response; some sectors are in favor the referendum, others reject these issues and propose reforms, and others reject the referendum itself.On June 23, in the city of Santa Cruz, the Civic Committee convoked a demonstration by local politicians and workers, quickly becoming an open town meeting, which would later serve as the foundations for the June Agenda, itself demanding a referendum at the department-level.
§ On July 18, the national Natural Gas and Hydrocarbon Referendum takes place with good civic participation and without incidence. The results favored and empowered, at least momentarily, the government’s negotiations.
After the results of the Binding Natural Gas Referendum, the government pushes forward the passage of the new Hydrocarbon Law. The government’s proposal is rejected by various sectors, and in the National Congress, approval of the new law is stalled.
The last two months of that year, the country lived through an electoral process that would assume special characteristics. In the municipal elections, which took place on December 5, for the first time, under-represented citizen groups and indigenous communities participated, and, in addition, new political parties presented candidates for municipal council positions. As to the electoral results, it should be noted that the presence of the rural poor and indigenous persons from isolated municipalities have become more significant with each election.
The year concluded with symptoms of deepening political and social crisis in response to the deterioration of the government’s agenda. The social organizations in the West and the power groups in the East of the country polarized. In the West, the social sectors with the most economic influence made as their priority the attainment of a referendum that would take place at the department-level, rallying the transformation of the centralist character of the government.
1.2. Analysis of the Current State of Affairs of the Regions. Departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija
In 2004, the national agenda centered around three themes: hydrocarbons – especially in the first semester—in the demand for greater departmental autonomy and the municipal elections process.
When the issue of hydrocarbons and the referendum about natural gas were priorities, the eyes of the country were set on the departments where these resources are produced, among these figure Tarija and Chuquisaca.
In Tarija and Chuquisaca, social organizations mobilized, demanding that the economic resources that come from natural gas be of benefit to those outside the region. In Potosí, also tackling the theme of natural resources, gatherings took place to challenge Salar de Uyuni’s contracts, endorsed by Chilean businesses.
Throughout the course of the year, the social demonstrations indicated that the legitimacy of social and civic representation was under question. Groups and social sectors that for many years executed local and regional power were reprimanded by social sectors that feel underrepresented, that desire to participate and directly address their points of view. In the case of Gran Chaco de Tarija, where the principal gas and hydrocarbon reserves are located, decentralization and autonomy do not always coincide with the urban sectors of Tarija.
When the subject of departmental autonomy became number one on the agenda, the social organizations in Chuquisaca and Potosí – especially indigenous and rural poor groups – mobilized around the issue as it was debated in the Constituent Assembly. In Tarija, some social groups – especially urban groups – supported a referendum to address departmental autonomy as it had first been presented by the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz; meanwhile, in the rural zones the opinion was divided, among those who supported the referendum and those in support of the Constituent Assembly.
Without a doubt, the municipal election captured the attention of the southern population of Bolivia, especially of the rural municipalities. The indigenous organizations and rural poor assumed the challenge of presenting their own candidates through citizens and indigenous alliances, meanwhile aligning themselves with the political parties of their preference. As stated above, the presence of the indigenous and the rural poor in the electoral process was very important, an observation that is validated by the significant presence of new governments in the rural municipalities.
In general, it can be said that the indigenous-rural and civic organizations and the regional institutions are part of the national agenda. They are active, looking to take part in and influence the social and political processes that they are living as well as the challenges of the future, as are the Constituent Assembly or, the potential referendum regarding autonomy.
1.3. The Role of ACLO in the Current State of Affairs
Once the passed constitutional reforms gave way to the realization of the Referendum on Natural Gas and the Constituent Assembly, ACLO Foundation unleashed an intense information and education campaign about the achievements and the importance of these facts, through the ACLO radio stations and through the technical teams associated with the institution.
As the gas referendum was being debated and Santa Cruz was demanding regional autonomy, ACLO in turn contributed to the generation of currents of opinion and the proposals of the social organizations, especially those belonging to the indigenous and the rural poor.
In consideration of the fact that the indigenous and the rural poor believed that having a greater role in the municipal elections would allow their communities and organizations to exercise greater influence on decision-making at the local-municipal level, ACLO created spaces—especially over the radio—so that the platforms of the candidates running for municipal council in the rural municipalities of the region would be known and debated.
During the coverage of the referendum and municipal elections, the support to the people’s reporters was transcendental, allowing for, as in other occasions, the diffusion of information, from an indigenous and communitarian perspective and vision, to far away communities.
In many cases, these themes were programmed into the education workshops for the leaders and community reporters, without affecting the operative plan of the project and without putting at risk the attainment of the original goals; better yet, the programs incorporated and responded to the expectations and demands of the rural population.
In the second semester, ACLO continued to elaborate and diffuse editorials about institutional opinion—through the radios and in the paper En Marcha, in order to motivate civic participation and to orient them to the facts regarding these events that are amongst the critical and definitive moments of our country’s history.
The year 2004 has been an important year for ACLO, because its educative-communicative actions have been strengthened alongside Radio ACLO-Potos, officially inaugurated in the month of August. This situation allowed for the initiation of two processes of significant impact:
§ The consolidation of the Southern Network, integrating three ACLO radio stations, other community radio stations and private intermediate population stations, as an alternative communication space, widespread and democratic, capable of influencing the national arena.
§ The implementation of the Basic Education Program over the Radio, as a pilot program which offer an alternative toward improving the lack of education in rural area populations.
II. Project Results. Consolidated.
2.1 Specific Objective 1. Proposal Design for Integral Education.
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Results |
Activities and Achievements |
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Result 1. 3 education teams from Foundation ACLO representing the Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija regions, coordinated efforts and collaborated to design and implement a proposal for the training and education of people’s reporters. |
2 coordination meetings among the education teams of 3 regional
ACLO radio stations to design the process of module training in communication
and rural leadership and the instruments to evaluate the impact of the
workshops and to coordinate the execution of the education process.
Regional education teams, consisting of the educators and communicators of the institutions, implemented a program of people’s reporter training in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. ACHIEVEMENTS They have coordinated with three regional stations of Foundation ACLO in order to elaborate, in a collaborative and consensual manner, a proposal for the training of community communicators. The training program of leaders and reporters has been methodologically and contextually revised. The program now provides for 5 workshops with developed curriculum: 4 workshops, each for the duration of 4 days and one 2-day gathering at the department-level. |
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Result 2. The 4 education training modules have been revised in accords with the content of the proposal. |
Redesign of the structure of module training for leaders and
community reporters.
Revision of the content of 4 training modules and guidebooks. Elaboration of the training module and guidebook about Popular Communication. In Chuquisaca, 12 community reporters that performed exceptionally well in the training process, were allowed air-time on Radio ACLO for one month each. ACHIEVEMENTS The manuals were revised in consideration of the contributions of previous board initiatives. The Program for the training of leaders and community reporters has been re-structured as well as the revision of 5 guidebooks and 5 program guides, which are:
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Result 3. Panel of outside professors who supported 10 training activities, in each of the 3 departments.
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Outreach and coordination meetings with alternative public
education and development institutions, with the purpose of articulating the
need for outside facilitators and educators in ACLO’s activities. The Program for the training of leaders and community reporters has been supported by outside facilitators, belonging to: Program to Support Municipal Democracy (PADEM) Service of Municipal and Community Strengthening to the Prefectura of Chuquisaca Hydrocarbon Union of the Prefectura of Tarija (Lic. Daniel Centeno). The personnel of Radio ACLO, also supported the training series. 15 workshops with leaders and community reporters were completed in Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija as well as 3 departament-level gatherings. 148 rural youth, 105 men and 43 women, belonging to 22 municipalities in Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija, have concluded their training as community reporters Community reporters from past years have also received training on issues related to the current state of affairs: the Natural Gas Referendum, the Municipal Elections, the Constituent Assembly, Gender and Radio Phonic Formats, coordinated with: The Departmental Electoral Courts of Chuquisaca and Tarija Project Let’s Bet on Bolivia – as Trainers in the process of the Constituent Assembly. 120 rural youth (103 men and 17 women) in 22 municipalities in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija, have expanded knowledge of these topics (See lists and details in Annex 1). |
2.2 Specific Objective 2. Exchange of Experiences.
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Result |
Activities and Achievements |
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Result 1. The creation of 3 modules outlining the feedback/ exchange of experiences among people’s reporters |
In Chuquisaca, they have structured a plan to foster feedback,
including 1 Departmental Congress, 1 Artistic Festival and the exchange of
experiences of people’s reporters of the Radio Broadcasters of the Chiwalaque
Municipality of Vacas and Radio Esperanza of the Aiquille Municipality, both
in the department of Cochabamba. In Potosí and Tarija the process of training community communicators has been reinitiated this year, with the support of this project, explaining the development of activities that have allowed for the exchange of their experiences. In Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija, they have elaborated a plan for feedback among the people’s reporters and the community communicators. ACHIEVEMENTS The organization of reporters and community communicators of Chuquisaca is strengthened and, in Potosí and Tarija, the organization has reassumed the organization of the reporters and community communicators. |
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Result 2. Created and executed 3 timetables for the exchange of experiences in the 3 departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. |
In Chuquisaca: Departmental Congress of People’s reporters, in which the Board was re-eelected. Artistic Festival, in which the people’s reporters shared their music and traditional dances. Chuquisaca, Potosó and Tarija: 3 Departmental gatherings took place with 287 leaders and community communicators that had participated in the Training Program during the 2004 programming. One can not quantify the exchange of experiences amongst the people’s reporters and the community communicators of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. ACHIEVEMENTS The activities for the feedback shared among people’s reporters, leaders and community communicators contributed to the development processes of inter-learning and generated positive attitudes toward coordinated work. |
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Result 3. They have established relations with three departmental federations and the economic initiatives in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. |
The radio stations in Chuquisaca and Tarija established
agreements with rural federations, gaining support for the Program of
Leadership and Community Communication Training and for the work they were
completing in their communities.
In Potosí, they have constant communication with the Muncipal Council in Ayllus, originators of Potosí. The 3 regional offices have elaborated a timetable for the training of leaders and community communicators, in coordination with the central and sub-central rural poor. ACHIEVEMENTS They have tight relations with the Ayllus Municipal Council Originators of Potosí. In Tarija, they have established a tight relationship with the Assembly of Pueblo Guaraní, so that their participants in the Program for the Training of the Leaders and Community Communicators. |
2.3 Specific Objective 3. Networking and Coordination.
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Result |
Activities and Achievements |
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Result 1. They have established contact with 3 institutions of alternative educations, IRFA, CETHA, ERBOL, in order to gain knowledge of the criteria and requirements associated with their programs. |
In Chiquisaca, Potosí and Tarija they have sponsored open
meeting so as to encourage leaders and community communicators to utilize the
training programs of other institutions, especially, PADEM, Programa NINA,
ERBOL and CETHA.
They have a close relationship with ERBOL. The Radios ACLO make it possible for persons of the region to sign-up for the Radio Training Project “United Voices”. Some reporters and community communicators are continuing their studies at home, such as Olga López in the municipality of Potobamba (Potosí), who just finished high school, and Filemón Condori of the municipality of Tinguipaya (Potosí). In the region of Potosí: They are executing a Project for Basic Education by Radio (study-at-home) that has incorporated some leaders and community communicators from the municipality of Betanzos, in the capacity of students and teacher guides. In Tarija, through the radio, they are supporting the program for basic education by radio that IFRA[1] had already implemented in this department. ACHIEVEMENTS In Potosí, ACLO began to execute Basic Education by Radio. |
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Result 2. Established demand for participants, exceeding 3 proposals requesting alternative education. |
In Chuquisaca:
2 community communicators participated in the NINA Program training process, enhancing their knowledge of current day topics. 5 community communicators, who had been trained under previous programming, participated in PADEM’s Social Communicators Training Program. In Potosí: Over 3 workshops, the communities had been informed about the possibility of attaining higher education in communication (United Voices). There is an interest among the community communicators to receive this higher education. ACLO has received 3 petitions by rural youth seeking training in communication. There is a great demand among rural youth to complete their primary school education. The Basic Education by Radio project only serves the municipality of Betanzos (Potosí); there is demand in other municipalities with higher levels of illiteracy and school drop-outs, such as is the case of Tinguipaya (Potosí). ACHIEVEMENTS We have generated significant demand for the education of the rural poor. |
2.4 Specific Objective 4. Training.
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Result |
Activities and Achievements |
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Result 1. 3 proposals requesting training have been presented to the Municipal Governments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. |
In Chuquisaca: ACLO has delivered a proposal for the training
of leaders and community communicators to 9 municipal governments and legal
organizations: Yamparáez, Tarabuco, Zudáñez, Tomina, Sopachuy, Azurduy,
Poroma, Presto and Tarvita. In Tarija: ACLO has requested the training of their leaders and community communicators to 4 municipalities: Padcaya, Yunchará, El Puente and Entre Ríos, and the rural citizen organizations. In Potosí: They have requested training to the municipal authorities in Vitichi, Tinguipaya, San Lucas and Betanzos. |
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Result 2. 10 agreements have been signed with Municipal Governments, 5 with Municipal Governments in Potosí and 5 in Tarija, in order to establish shared criteria for the training process of people’s reporters.
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18 municipal governments have signed agreements: Potosí: 2 municipal governments: San Lucas and Tinguipaya (Refer to the annexes on these agreements).Chuquisaca: 9 municipal governments: Yamparáez, Tarabuco, Zudáñez, Tomina, Sopachuy, Azurduy, Poroma, Presto and Tarvita. Tarija: 4 municipal governments: Yunchará, El Puente, Padcaya and Entre Ríos. ACHIEVEMENTS The signing of these agreements will guarantee the realization of the training workshops, in that the municipal governments have already ceded the necessary economic resources for the food and the location. The signing of these agreements with the rural intermediary organizations (central and sub-central) guarantee that the participants have the support of their communities, indicating that the communities themselves will work toward these efforts. The leaders and the community communicators have supported and shared in the responsibility of these agreements with the municipalities. |
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Result 3. 3 annual feedback sessions with the Vigilante Committee in the departments and municipalities of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. |
In Tarija, ACLO has hosted a session to allow for the exchange
of experiences between the Vigilante Committee and Community Communicators.
In August, they hosted a feedback session with the vigilante committees in Chuquisaca and Potosí, in the city of Tupiza. In Chuquisaca and Potosí, the Vigilante Committees have supported the allocation of municipal resources toward the training of leaders and community communicators, as a contribution in the improvement of social control. |
2.5 Specific Objective 5. Training Certification Process.
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Result |
Activities and Achievements |
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Result 1. 1 certification agreement has been defined in conjunction with ERBOL’s training of people’s reporters in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. |
As soon as the inscription process begins for the radio project
United Voices in the Radio Phonic Education of Bolivia (ERBOL), a certification
agreement with be defined.
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Result 2. The systematization of the 10 daily dispatches for the people’s reporters, in each one of the radio stations of the ACLO Media Communication System. |
In Chuquisaca, they receive 15 to 20 daily reports from the people’s reporters, which are then aired in news blurbs and special programs. Each month, a reporter or community communicator participates directly in the elaboration of the informative programs 11 aired by Radio ACLO-Chuquisaca. In Tairja, they receive 5 to 10 daily dispatches from their reporters and community communicators that are then aired in news blurbs in the morning and in the Contact Program, which itself is aired on Saturdays and is oriented to motivate the efforts of their leaders and community communicators. In Potosí, weekly they receive 15 reports from their community communicators, which are incorporated into different programs, in accords with a specified theme. They have edited 3 editions of the Newspaper “En Marcha” (Nº 388/389/390), featuring 1000 exemplary reports in the first two editions and 1500 in the last. This newspaper is distributed in the rural municipalities of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija ACHIEVEMENTS With each day, the dispatches of the community communicators reflect better quality. It has been said that the work of the people’s reporters and the community communicators enhance the communicative endeavors of the Radios ACLO, the ERBOL Networks and QUECHUA. This situation will assume greater importance in the future, because the Radios ACLO—since 2005—has been given its own space in ERBOL Network reporting. This work undoubtedly requires continued support from the reporters and the community communicators. |
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Result 3. 3 inter-institutional reporter activity evaluation meetings have been convoked, each in the ACLO regional offices in Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. |
ACLO has established periodic evaluation meetings concerning
the activities of the people’s reporters, monitored by the Administration
Committee of each region, in which participate the responsible education
teams and radio stations.
In Chuquisaca, in August/September, there was the People’s reporter Congress and Festival, during which their activities were evaluated and a new board was elected. ACHIEVEMENTS In Chuquisaca, the work and the organization of the reporters and the community communicators has been strengthened. In Potosí and Tarija, the organization of the community communicators is being promoted among rural organizations. In this way, ACLO’s efforts are contributing the strengthening of the community and its organizations. |
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Result 4. A placement map has been created for the people’s reporters, in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija. |
In Chuquisaca: They have identified that the reporters and the
communcal communicators are working in 14 municipalities (of the 28 in the
department).
In Potosí: They have created a placement for the reporters and community communicators in the municipalities of: Vitichi, Betanzos, Tinguipaya, and Tacobamba. Although San Lucas is part of the department of Chuquisaca, the communicators have tight relations with Radio ACLO Potosí. In Tarija: only recently have they resumed training community communicators, so this activity is projected for next year. |
[1] The Radio Phonic Institute of Faith and Happiness is an organization that has, in the last few years, developed study-at-home basic education initiatives using the radio, targeting East Bolivia.