Bolivia
May 2013
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Preamble
Bolivia is drawing international interest and attention as it develops, and the impact this is having on
the economy, ecology and community life. This year, Bolivia is a country which Christian Aid Week is
focusing on, and it is for these reasons that we present this report to the General Assembly.
The Church and Society Council includes international issues as well as domestic politics with in its
remit, and so much of the work in Bolivia which is being undertaken by Christian Aid and its partner
organisations resonate strongly with our current work priorities: climate change, tax transparency,
land reform and a new approach to economics.
We hope this report offers an opportunity to re-iterate the relationship between Christian Aid and
the Church of Scotland. Christian Aid is the Church of Scotland (just as it is all its 39 member
churches) at work in places across the globe with people and organisations with which we have much
in common, much to share, and from whom we have much to learn. Being aware that the World
Mission Council had few relationships in the Americas, but that it was open to seeking out partners
with which congregations could engage and develop relationships, and that both Councils worked
closely with Christian Aid, it seemed a natural opportunity to follow-up this work in Bolivia.
COUNTRY CONTEXT
Despite mineral wealth, Bolivia is one of the poorest nations in Latin America. A majority of the
population of approximately 10 million is of indigenous Amerindian ethnicity. Named after the Latin
American revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar, the country declared independence from Spanish rule
in 1809. A period of comparative stability was followed by the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), with
the loss of the mineral-rich Pacific coastline to Chile. The Chaco War (1932-1935) resulted in loss of
territory to Paraguay. The capital city is Sucre, although the seat of government is La Paz, whilst the
largest city (1.8 million) is Santa Cruz. The economy of now land-locked Bolivia is dominated by
mineral extraction, notably tin mining, yet a large percentage of the population live in poverty –
especially those from the indigenous community. The 1970s and early 1980s were marked by
numerous military coups and political repression. The election of President Evo Morales – the first
President from the indigenous community – in 2005 marked a radical departure from the policy of
his predecessors, including nationalisation of the gas industry and measures aimed at improving the
living standards of the poor. Roman Catholicism is followed by a large majority of the population,
with significant Protestant Christians of numerous traditions. Spanish, Guarani, Aymara and
Quechua are all official languages. A new constitution in 2009 renamed the country the Estado
Plurinacional de Bolivia – reflecting the multi-ethnicity of the population.
Bolivia is a country rich in natural resources including reserves of oil and gas, as well as the
biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest. It is also one of the poorest countries in South America, where
millions of people struggle to survive in difficult living conditions. In 2011, Bolivia’s Human
Development ranking was the second lowest in South America.1 Although macro-economic and
social development indicators show positive change (extreme poverty had fallen from 49% in 1990 to
26% in 20092), inequality is high. The richest 20% of Bolivia’s population holds 59% of its wealth
1 United Nations Development Programme: HDR Statistics, 2011
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/103106.html
2 UDAPE (the Bolivian Government’s Social and Economic Policy Analysis Unit) report, 2011
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whereas the poorest 20% holds just 2%3. Poverty is mainly concentrated in rural areas and among
indigenous groups.
Bolivia’s economy is largely dependent on the extractive, hydrocarbon and large-scale agricultural
industries. This results in impressive macro-economic indicators but these industries generate little
employment or sustainable income for the majority of the population, who still simply subsist.
The majority of Bolivia’s population is comprised of indigenous people (62%), mainly made up of
Aymara and Quechua as well as smaller groups particularly in the Amazon region4. According to
Christian Aid, indigenous peoples are most affected by inequality, poverty and the abuse of human
rights.
The main issues facing indigenous communities are:
Land Rights
The Bolivian Amazon where many indigenous Bolivian communities live is one of the most biodiverse
regions in the world. This biodiversity is under threat as only 17% of the national territory is
protected5.
Land is still mainly held by a few rich families and large corporations. They use the
land for large scale agro-industry such as logging, cattle ranching and plantations. Many civil society
organisations perceive that the Government emphasises geopolitical integration and regional
interests at the expense of small farmers and indigenous communities, for example by setting out to
build highways and hydroelectric plans without consulting the people whose land is directly affected.
Deforestation
Over half of Bolivia's territory (c.60%) is covered with tropical forests, representing 10% of all forests
in South America. Each year an estimated 300,000 hectares of forest are cut down in Bolivia6. This is
over double the size of Fife. For the indigenous people, the forest is their home, their main food
source and their livelihood. Without the trees, animals and plants, their way of life would be
devastated.
Climate Change
Bolivia’s glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate. Many believe that this is linked to climate
change.7 Indigenous forest communities have noticed an increase in flooding, as well as increased
temperatures leading to more drought and forest fires.8
Politics
3 Information from the World Bank, 2010 http://databank.worldbank.org/ddp/home.do
4 Indigenous Peoples 1994-2004, World Bank, 2006
5 WWF website, 2012 http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/bolivia/about/
6 Bolivia: Climate change, poverty and adaption, Oxfam 2009
http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bolivia-climate-change-adaptation-0911.pdf
7 World Bank report available at: http://climatechange.worldbank.org/content/bolivia-economics-adaptationclimate-change-study
8 See Bolivia Information Forum Special Report on Effects of Climate Change in Bolivia
http://www.boliviainfoforum.org.uk/inside-page.asp?section=3&page=48
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Historically the economic elite have dominated regional and departmental politics as well as
controlling land. Many indigenous communities believe that this has resulted in submission and
disempowerment as their voices are not asked for or listened to. Women too face particular
problems relating to violence and intimidation:
 The legislative assembly (Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional) is now more representative than in
the past, ethnically, socially, and gender-wise. However, government and decision making
processes often seem as far away as ever from the people; civil society organisations have
observed that ethnic and gender based agendas are seen as less important, and elected
representatives answer more to the political whips than to their electorate. This results in public
protest being common throughout the country, as a way for people to express their concerns.
There are low levels of trust towards established political systems as well as leaders of the
increasingly divided social movements (that many perceive as being co-opted by the
government).9
 Whilst gender parity in municipal, regional (sub-national) and national government assemblies
can reach up to 40%, several female representatives have expressed their concerns about
violence stopping them from fulfilling their functions.10 They are subject to violence both at
home and in their workplaces, and of sexual harassment or political threats, to the point of
forcing them to resign in place of men. In 2012, the Government approved a law to fight this
violence and harassment, motivated by the murder of a woman councillor from La Paz. This is an
important advance, but women’s organisations face a challenge to ensure effective
implementation of this law.11
In 2006 Evo Morales was elected as President of Bolivia. He is the first indigenous President and has
brought in the new constitution which recognises the rights of indigenous people and facilitated a
new dialogue with the wealth creators which many believe results in Bolivia seeing more of the
wealth generated by its resources.
Whilst there have been steps forward for indigenous communities and women’s rights, there
remains a challenge related to education and advocacy work, to ensure that people understand their
rights, that they are empowered to know how to claim these rights and that they are being consulted
in local and regional politics.
CHRISTIAN AID IN BOLIVIA
A new Economics
As the Church of Scotland’s international development agency, Christian Aid has worked in Bolivia for
more than 30 years. Christian Aid has recently decided to develop its programme in the Amazon by
working directly with Amazonian forest and small holder farming communities under threat from
9 For example, in 2011-12, the Pacto de Unidad (a coalition of the main 5 rural grassroots movements) divided
and these social organizations themselves are going through a crisis due to the lack of legitimacy of some
leaders.
10 A national workshop, organized by Christian Aid Bolivia and a local partner organisation in September
2012,with local, national, and social female representatives showed how important is this issue for women
who are often persecuted for trying to do their job as public authorities. This is an issue many women are
afraid of reporting for fear of retaliation.
http://www.comunidad.org.bo/archivos/publicaciones/boletin_politica-ok.pdf
11 Bolivia Approves a Landmark Law against Harassment of Women Political Leaders
http://dev.saynotoviolence.org/around-world/news/bolivia-approves-landmark-law-against-harassmentwomen-political-leaders
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aggressive and non-inclusive development with the aim of transforming their livelihoods, securing
their territories, and helping them to defend their rights.
Christian Aid Bolivia wants to ensure that the voices of the forest communities are heard at a local,
national, international and corporate level. Through this work, Christian Aid and the Churches hope
that the communities will be able to inform and influence policy on key developmental issues that
affect them. Christian Aid works closely with local partners to strengthen grassroots organisations
and communities so that they are able to manage their land and resources in a way which is
inclusive, sustainable and enables them to be protagonists of their own development process. Fair
development, respecting rights and maintaining environmental concerns are at the forefront of this
work. Christian Aid’s aim is to help move communities away from subsistence farming and living from
hand to mouth, towards becoming thriving, resilient communities.
Why the Amazon?
Christian Aid has chosen to work in the Amazon for the following key reasons:

It is becoming increasingly necessary to protect indigenous communities from land
exploitation. The Amazon rainforest is an extremely important natural resource. As one of the
richest areas in terms of natural resources and biodiversity, the Amazonian region is at the heart
of international debate. Large agro-forestry and industrial companies want to exploit these
resources. As international mineral prices rise, exploratory work is being undertaken in national
parks, including in Madidi where oil is suspected to be present. The Morales government has
been seen to be supporting these agro-industrialists rather than supporting the tens of
thousands of small organic producers and indigenous communities in the Amazon. There have
been cases where work has started on new highways and hydroelectric plants without prior
consultation of the indigenous people already living on that land. The most recent example of
this happening in Bolivia is with the Tipnis territory and highway12. Indeed many Amazonian
indigenous territories are now being accused of being “unproductive”. This raises serious
questions about the role of small agriculturalists in the development of Bolivia.

The extractive model of development employed by some large companies is not socially or
environmentally sustainable - it is a predatory model, forever looking to expand its frontiers,
undermining and questioning the sovereignty, land rights and alternative models of development
that indigenous communities employ such as agroforestry which generates income for
communities without deforestation and which respects the social organisations and indigenous
decision-making processes around collective territories. An example of this is a Christian Aid
supported initiative working with indigenous producers to commercialise wild amazon chocolate
and ensuring their access to fair markets.

Forest communities in the Bolivian Amazon are facing increasing climate-related hazards e.g.
flooding from more extreme and intense rainy seasons and forest fires due to hotter dry seasons.
They need support to understand and adapt to these hazards.

Many of the communities are not easy to reach – people live in often remote and dispersed
communities, which causes challenges in terms of cost and accessibility. In many cases this has
deterred other international development organisations from working with them.
12 See https://nacla.org/blog/2012/10/20/bolivia-new-road-contract-ramps-stakes-tipnis-conflict
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
Many European bilateral agencies have cut or reduced their aid programmes to Bolivia in light
of the recent classification of Bolivia as a Middle Income Country and the international financial
crisis. However, as outlined above, inequality is still a huge problem in Bolivia and indigenous
communities are the most marginalised sectors of society, and they need support.

There are forthcoming elections in Bolivia. In 2014 there will be national and departmental
elections and in 2015 there will be municipal elections. The time leading up to these elections
may be an opportunity for social movements to advocate for their interests and influence
election agendas. There is a risk that energy may be diverted away from developing and
implementing long term development programmes, in favour of immediate populist measures to
win votes and discredit opponents. Therefore it is important that Christian Aid works with its
partners to ensure that the voices of the marginalised indigenous communities are involved in
the process and heard.
How does Christian Aid add value?
Christian Aid has been working in the Amazonian region of Beni since 1997.13 Over the last 15 years it
has built good relationships with partners as well as gaining the trust of forest communities and their
leaders. Christian Aid Bolivia is recognised among the international community as a valid and
important reference point for development issues in the Amazon because of its sound knowledge
and excellent relationships.
Christian Aid Bolivia has developed monitoring tools and provides training and technical assistance to
partners to help them improve and work better. Regular reporting requirements mean that projects
are monitored closely and evaluated on a frequent basis which gives higher standards and better
outcomes.
As a global organisation rooted in the life of 39 denominations in Britain and, with its international
ecumenical connections, Christian Aid is well placed to connect and tap into knowledge from around
the world. The land and climate concerns faced by indigenous communities in Bolivia are common
issues facing forest communities around the world. By working in a joined up way with other
Christian Aid rainforest programmes, Christian Aid Bolivia has developed regional links to partners in
Brazil working with Amazonian forest communities. Potential links with forest programmes in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Philippines have also been identified. These conversations will
help to identify common issues and encourage new solutions and ideas.
Christian Aid also seeks to use its global presence and connection with Churches to increase the
visibility of often isolated Amazonian forest and farming communities in joint policy and advocacy
work. By doing so, its work not only considers practical ways to root out poverty but also the more
spiritual elements, which characterise the Bolivian indigenous communities’ collective relationship
with their environment and the sustainable use of natural resources.
Christian Aid’s longest running Amazonian partner is Centro de Investigación y Promoción del
Campesinado (the Centre for Research and Training of Peasants) (CIPCA). It has a programme which is
active in the Beni Department in the north east of Bolivia. CIPCA Beni’s Director Lorenzo Soliz says
that “Christian Aid is different from other funding organisations, because it is not just a funding
organisation. Rather it accompanies CIPCA in our work. Christian Aid participates in the evaluations
13 http://www.christianaid.org.uk/whatwedo/the-americas/bolivia.aspx
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that we do… In that way Christian Aid shares a high level of responsibility for the work and with the
results of our institution. With Christian Aid we have gone far beyond the relationship with a funder
because we have opened spaces for analysis of discussion on proposals for development.14”
There are direct connections to this work and that of the report of the Special Commission on the
Purpose of Economics received by the 2012 General Assembly. Devolution of power, sustainability of
local economies and the voice of those least heard but most affected are all themes of that report.
There is a real opportunity for developing a deeper understanding of these experiences and the
opportunity for learning about our own context in exploring them.
This work also reflects some of the thinking behind the submission made by the Church and Society
Council on behalf of the Church to the Commission reviewing the Land Reform Act in Scotland
(http://www.actsparl.org/media/146576/or-cos-land%20reform%20review-jan13.pdf).
LINK TO ADVOCACY
Climate Change
The Amazon rainforest is inextricably linked to the global climate because it is a carbon “sink” – the
trees and plants which make up the Amazon accumulate and store carbon dioxide through the
process of photosynthesis. The Amazon stores 86 billion tonnes of carbon – the equivalent of almost
11 years’ global carbon emissions15. Deforestation is destroying this carbon sink, as well as adding
greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Today Christian Aid’s programme in Bolivia works with Amazonian communities to ensure that they
are developing the rainforest in an ecologically and environmentally sustainable way. Integrating
disaster risk reduction is an integral part of its work so that partners and communities are prepared
to respond to both natural disasters (fires, floods etc.) and human-caused threats (e.g. land grabbing
or conflict).
Through advocacy work, Christian Aid Bolivia is seeking ways to help communities to hold the
Morales government to account on recently passed legislation Ley de Derechos de la Madre Tierra
(the Law of the Rights of Mother Earth).
There is a direct relationship between this work and that of the Responding to Climate Change
Project and with Eco Congregation Scotland. The global edge that the partnership in Scotland
between Christian Aid, SCIAF and Eco Congregation Scotland has brought means that these
experiences can inform and develop the understanding in communities across Scotland of the
consequences of Climate Change.
Tax
In 2006, as little as 18% of the value of oil and gas exports stayed in Bolivia. Now that figure is 50%
due to a successful popular campaign to re-nationalise the hydrocarbon industries. The government
has increased the royalties paid by oil and gas companies.
14 Interview with Hannah Richards of Christian Aid, July 2011
15 Amazon rainforest locks up 11 years of CO2 emissions, Rheatt A. Butler, 2007, published on
www.mongabay.com
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Using the money gained from the increased hydrocarbons taxes, the Morales government has
introduced various social programmes including the Renta Dignidad (a basic pension for all Bolivian
citizens over 60 years of age), the Bono Juancito Pinto (a means-tested annual grant for primary
school children) and the Bono Juana Azurduy (a grant for pregnant women, conditional on the
mother attending pre- and post- natal sessions).
Christian Aid partner Centro de Estudios para el Desarrollo Laboral y Agrario (Centre for Labour and
Agricultural Development – CEDLA) helped to mobilise huge popular protests which led to this
success. It helped ordinary Bolivians understand the unfair taxation system that existed before 2006
by producing radio shows and leaflets in different indigenous languages. This helped people from all
social backgrounds to get the information they needed to have a say.
Christian Aid continues to support CEDLA which monitors Bolivia’s expenditure from its oil and gas
revenues to make sure people know where the money is going. It is also continuing its research into
Bolivia’s economic policies and practices to see how they can better benefit the poor.
This is a concrete example of the kind of action on Tax and Transparency called for from Churches
and others in the report of the Special Commission on the Purpose of Economics. Its ramifications
both on the issue of tax itself but also on the devolution of democracy from those in power to those
on who behalf power is held are significant and merit further study and reflection in Scotland as well
as in Bolivia.
CASE STUDIES: CIPCA (to appear in box)
Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado (the Centre for Research and Training of
Peasants – CIPCA – www.cipca.org.bo) is a well-respected long-established national organisation,
with its roots in the Jesuit order. CIPCA works with indigenous communities in a holistic way – helping
them to increase the amount of food they have to eat whilst also protecting the forest and helping
them to understand their rights and use their voices.
Christian Aid has supported CIPCA’s work in the Beni region of Bolivia since 1997. Beni is the second
poorest department in the country. Many of the indigenous communities in Beni traditionally live on
subsistence farming based on small scale rice production, complemented by fishing, hunting and
collecting wild plants.
Abraham and his Asociación Agroforestal16
Abraham is 34 years old. He says “The community looks after the forest because in truth, the forest is
our life. It feeds us, we are part of it. We live together with the forests.”
At the heart of CIPCA’s work is their programme on crop diversification and agro forestry. Each family
that CIPCA work with are given seeds or saplings for 52 different kinds of crops. Abraham explains
“The system means you can plant things to eat this year like rice and yucca, but I also planted citrus
trees and cocoa trees [which take longer to bear fruit]. They also gave us seeds to plant hardwood
trees like mahogany in amongst the cocoa trees.”
Crop diversification gives families a wider variety of food to eat and means they are not dependent on
one crop. Families and communities are consistently supported by CIPCA and are visited regularly by
CIPCA technicians who give advice and work with them to get the most out of their crops.
16 www.Bolivia.acambiode.com/empresa/asociacion-e-productores-agroforestales-de-la-region-amazonica-debolivia_235685
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One crop in particular which CIPCA is helping Amazonian communities to grow is the native wild
cocoa. Abraham admits “No one really took any notice of the cocoa trees - we would pick a bit and
eat it ourselves but when CIPCA came with research they said cocoa was a strategic crop and that it
was worth a lot more than our other crops like rice.”
In 2007 CIPCA helped Abraham and other cocoa producers in the region to set up the Asociación
Agroforestal to take their work with cocoa forward. Together the producers made an agreement with
a company who wanted to buy the cocoa and they established a minimum price.
Abraham explains “We did a survey of the market, how much was sold and at what price. We found
the intermediaries were buying it at a very low price and selling it for much more. We didn’t realise
that there was such demand at a national and international level… bit by bit we woke up. Now we
understand what the value should be. Thanks to CIPCA they have really worked with us as families
and producers.” In agreeing a minimum price, Abraham and the other cocoa growers guaranteed
themselves a price which was three times higher than the price they were selling it for before.
Elmy: Land rights and livestock
Elmy is a mother of three. She says “CIPCA have helped with food, because we always suffer with
floods and drought. They gave us chickens… We can eat them and we can sell them. With the money
from the eggs we can buy whatever we’re missing: food, sugar, onions - those sorts of things.”
In addition to chickens, Elmy’s community have also been given 20 sheep. Elmy explains “The sheep
are a repayable loan - after 2 years we give 20 sheep back to CIPCA from the babies that have been
born. And they can give them on to other groups of families.”
In addition to livestock, Elmy’s community have also been supported by CIPCA to get the titles to their
land. Elmy says “We are now the owners of our land. Last year we got our official land rights. They
came to the community to give them to us. We are here.”
Another problem that Elmy’s community faces are forest fires. “We have forest fires every year, but I
think they are worse because of climate change” she says. Last year there was a drought and so the
land was extremely dry. Therefore the fires spread further and much quicker. CIPCA have been
working with Elmy’s community to create fire breaks – clearings in the forest which will help to stop
the spread of the fire. “This year we have taken measures to protect the cocoa trees - all the clearing
work will mean it is less likely to burn.”
Opportunities
There is an opportunity at this juncture to develop much more close working links with Christian Aid
Bolivia and both the Church and Society Council and the World Mission Council. The Christian Aid
Bolivia programme for the next 3 years will have a strong Faith in Action component. Christian Aid
has an excellent partner called Instituto Superior Ecuménico Andino de Teologíca (ISEAT)
http://www.iseatbolivia.org/). Together the organisations are developing a common strategy to
ensure that their programme and partners in Bolivia may use ISEAT as a resource to develop a
theological and spiritual reflection around the development issues raised in this report such as:
alternative models of development (living well), the green economy, inclusion and equality, rights
(especially land rights and indigenous territorial rights in the Amazon), developing the economy with
a priority for the poorest, and transparency and accountability in the use of public and private
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resources in the Amazon (linked into global tax justice campaigns and corporate social responsibility
in extractive industries such as mining).
This work could take several forms;
 Briefing papers - theological (national, regional and international) reflections on key
development issues and models and living well. ISEAT has good experience of working with
the World Council of Churches and has in the past developed influential policy documents,
for example on Climate Change which made a big impact in Canadian Churches. ISEAT is a key
player in regional and potentially global theological policy development on social and
economic justice.
 Worship materials and prayers from Bolivia
 ISEAT has also piloted a project with grassroots ecumenical groups in Bolivia and Holland.
The members of these groups undertake communal reading of bible passages (this
communal reading is a key component of popular education and liberation theology in Latin
America) and reflect together on what these passages say to them. Readings are often linked
to specific issues (e.g. tax justice, inequality etc.). The notes of the groups are then
exchanged, so that both parties in each country can see the differences between and
similarities with their peers across the world in their interpretation of the scriptures.
This partnership, facilitated through Christian Aid, creates a significant opportunity to move the word
of the report into action and opportunities that have potential to have a significant impact not just
on the national church but on local congregations who, by the very nature of the Bolivian experience,
should be key members of any partnership process.
Proposed Deliverance:


Welcome the opportunities for collaboration on a variety of key issues and instruct the
Church and Society Council to work with Christian Aid Scotland to develop links with the
Instituto Superior Ecuménico Andino de Teologíca.
Instruct the Church and Society Council to provide resources to assist congregations in
finding out about work that Christian Aid is doing in Bolivia and linking the activity to the life
of congregations in Scotland.
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