Fernando Nuño in La Paz
As a response to the spiral of violence in the country, the Bolivian Red Cross has been working with indigenous groups promoting humanitarian values and providing psychosocial support to the affected population.
It is dawn, and Félix Gutiérrez, a 43-year-old construction worker, heads for downtown La Paz. In Prado Avenue, he meets a group of about 100 people. All of them are disabled, wounded by shots fired during the social unrest of October 2003, the so-called "Gas War".
"We are here to cut off the avenue. I became disabled and now nobody hires me for building works. I am desperate. If the Government does not help us, how will I survive?" he explains. Félix, like most of the demonstrators, is an indigenous Aymara from El Alto, the district situated in the highest part of La Paz.
Félix continues: "A bullet struck and killed my good friend Manuel, who was by my side during the turmoil".
The unrest, provoked by plans to export Bolivian natural gas, resulted in the deaths of 56 people.
As a response to the spiral of violence, the Bolivian Red Cross (CRB) , the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation pooled their resources with the aim of planning and starting a programme to tackle the social crisis.
"At the base of that work, the victims of violence are the priority", says Silvia Maldonado, head of the Bolivian Red Cross project office.
The Federation has been supporting the CRB in drawing up contingency plans to respond effectively to a possible worsening in the situation. "Analysing the social risks in the country will help us to anticipate the causes of future conflicts," explains Giorgio Ferrario, Federation programme coordinator in South America.
Bring positions closer together
"Working with indigenous groups is essential in a country in which 50 per cent of the inhabitants are pure indigenous people, with their traditional values and beliefs," explains Philip Gallard, head of the ICRC’s regional delegation, who has held talks with Evo Morales and Felipe Quispe, the indigenous leaders who led last year's protest.
The joint programme includes the dissemination of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) among non-traditional groups, such as indigenous people, communities and political groups. At the same time the Bolivian Red Cross and the ICRC are implementing a so-called Army and Security Forces (FAS) programme, which integrates IHL into army and police training programmes.
"We want to repeat in Bolivia the successful experience carried out with the Peruvian army during recent years", explains Gabriela Mogollón, ICRC dissemination coordinator for South America.
In parallel, the Bolivian Red Cross is working to prevent violence at a community level. For one group of volunteers, that means going to "Niño Kollo" kindergarten, on the outskirts of La Paz. They want to monitor the progress made in a family violence prevention programme, implemented with the support of the Spanish Red Cross. A survey developed by the volunteers themselves suggests that there are cases of abuse on 60 per cent of homes in this district.
"Children learn songs about the need of love and friendship. This is a way to block, from childhood, the dynamic of family violence lived in many homes", explains the childcare worker Frida Conde.
The social crisis in Bolivia has many causes, and its solution is complex. "The results will take a long time to become apparent. We must work little by little and from a base. This is the basis of shared resources and actions", says Silvia Maldonado.