Opportunities on the outskirts

Three times a week a team from the Legion of Good Will of La Paz, Bolivia, visits the same destination: the Buena Vista settlement in the city of El Alto. The group, comprised of a cook, a social worker, and volunteer professionals, leaves the Bolivian capital (about 10 kilometers from the location) in a van loaded with food and full of hope that they will be able to provide favorable conditions for women, especially mothers, to develop their independence.

The team reaches the community bright and early and begins to prepare the meals they will serve to the families, which is a considerable reinforcement to the precarious diet of these people. The afternoon period is reserved for learning. In the social center premises, young and adult women get together for the literacy and technical training courses, which provide qualification for the female labor force and contribute to generate income. Among the activities offered they learn how to make chocolate candies, artificial handmade flowers, blankets, and ponchos.

Gladis Flores Mamani, 31, mother of four children, says that despite the daily efforts of her husband the salary he receives is not enough to cover their household expenses. So for a long time she has wanted to learn handicraft skills that would offer her the opportunity to earn some extra income. “When I heard the Legion of Good Will was offering courses in its Technical Training Center I was one of the first to enroll.” Gladis learned macramé techniques and is already seeing the results: “I’m very happy and thankful for the LBV. Now I can make a lot of items and sell them to help my family.”