Work Trip to Bolivia, December 2005
By Peter Weed and Art Mandler
We had a successful trip to Bolivia from December 3rd to 11th, 2005. We arrived in Cochabamba on Saturday the 3rd. Since it’s summer there everything looked green … a first for us! Because of the elevation, Cochabamba was not terribly hot, but we were destined to get all the tropical heat we could stand a few days later in Montero. Abraham met us at the airport with Nelly in his arms (age 18 months). She’s as cute as can be – check out the photos! Later we linked up with Sue and 3 year-old Luis at his preschool graduation. The school festivities included a play in which Luis played a pumpkin. Their oldest child, Sara, was in La Paz with her grandma, so we sadly missed seeing her. All is well with the Aruquipa family, and we were able to spend all day Sunday with them just hanging out and renewing our friendship.
For the rest to the trip, however, not a day went by without a (sometimes long) meeting or three, and the need for some carefully considered diplomacy. The timing of all these meetings seems important to the end results, so we’ll specify the order here:
(1) WFP Bolivian Staff (Abraham, Claudia Cossio, Carlos Vargas, and Julia Montes) on Monday.
(2) Director of Peace Corps for Water & Sanitation programs, Tim McFarren, along with Abraham and Claudia, on Tuesday.
(3) Peace Corps volunteer and Circuit Rider Mike Riley (after arriving Wednesday afternoon in Montero).
(4) Dinner with Dr. Dardo Chavez, his wife, Abraham and Mike Riley Wednesday evening.
(5) Meetings with COSMOL and representatives of Chane water co-op on Thursday with Dardo, Abraham, Claudia (who came down the previous night on the bus from Cochabamba), Mike Riley and Mijail.
(6) Friday we visited Okinawa and then split up and Peter visited Puesto Fernandez with Mike, Mijail and Claudia, while Art went with Dardo and Abraham to Portachuelo.
(7) Saturday we all again reconvened at CSRA health clinic at Villa Cochabamba (just outside Montero). This was the longest and most important meeting of all in which we attempted to clear the air on past reports and activities, while at the same time trying not to lose sight of the positive gains and overall goals that we all want to achieve.
(8) Sunday we returned home … happy but tired.
To briefly summarize the outcomes of all these meetings, we believe that by building relationships with the new WFP staff (especially Claudia, with whom we spent considerable time), we were able to impress upon them not only the extensive history of NC WFP’s involvement with rural projects, but our strong, positive relationship with CSRA (Andean Rural Health Care) as well. This was important because we realized that, with Abraham in New Zealand for 6 months of the past year, a lack of confidence had developed between WFP Bolivia and CSRA that had impacted WFP’s evaluation of the Circuit Rider program.
We were also able to address certain communication problems between Mike Riley and CSRA that threatened to diminish the effectiveness of the program. We found Mike to be generally very enthusiastic, energetic, and, if anything, overly ambitious about the potential for the chlorination program. He seems to have a strong relationship with Mijail whose continued presence is, of course, central to the success of the program.
By the time of our final “summit” meeting on the last Saturday of our trip, we felt we had a pretty clear sense of what misunderstandings had developed and what steps were needed to get the program operating more effectively. By the end of that meeting, it was acknowledged by all that (1) CSRA has an active and vital role to play in a successful Circuit Rider Program. (2) Mike Riley’s work for the remaining 6 months of his assignment can best be spent filling a gap (which we all agreed exists) in health education and promotion of chlorination within the existing co-ops. He might possibly pursue educational programs to new potential customers as time permits. However, Mike is also involved in well-drilling projects to which he must dedicate 50% of his time. (3) WFP Bolivia is in complete charge of this program. While the NC WFP Committee will gladly be available to assist in any technical capacity, we made it clear we have no intention to control or manage the Circuit Rider program.
Confirmation of the usefulness of our trip came in the form of a follow up email from Claudia to the WFP staff in Denver shortly after we return from Bolivia. She acknowledged a change in her opinion about the chlorination program, and offered high praise for the technical assistance and diplomatic initiatives made by the North Carolina chapter of WFP.
As always, it was wonderful to see our many friends down South, including Dr. Dardo Chavez, Mijail, the WFP staff, and the many familiar faces at the clinics, water cooperatives like COSMOL and Okinawa, and even the hotel managers that welcomed us like old friends. We left feeling blessed to have these heartfelt connections to our adopted country.
Election News
Evo Morales was elected President by a majority vote in December 2005 and took office in January 2006. This will likely mean a major ideological shift left on the political spectrum, but how this will play out in terms of governance is anyone’s guess. We never encountered any resentment or trouble while we were there, but the election was part of almost every conversation. Some folks expressed concerns. Program Director Tim McFarren wondered about the future of the Peace Corps in Bolivia. Some Bolivians feared intervention by the U.S. military or CIA. But in general, there was widespread hope and enthusiasm among Bolivians that the Morales administration would ignite sparks of much needed progress for this beautiful and beleaguered country.