Ouch!

16 hours in a 4x4, on roads that don´t deserve that name, mud, fording rivers, cliffs that have collapsed as we drive under them, amazing views of wild, mountainous scenes through trees and fields of maize, tiny muddy villages, donkeys led by women in multi-coloured shawls, overladen with multi-coloured sacks of carrots, onions, maize, etc, children riding ponies late at night miles from anywhere obviously returning from a distant mission, and much, much more.

Communities where they have set up community telecentres where community includes the college, the mayor´s office (local council), the school, and the local farmers´ association. We´ve had three such meetings since 5am, across a large area of Chuquisaca. Yes, the connection is too expensive but the projects aren´t making money on that, it´s just normal satellite stuff. The people here are SO poor, it is challenging to think of places where additional money can be raised to support the centres, and all they wish to do in collaboration. But everyone has shown support of the value of the projects, and emphasised the need for the Internet connections.

We´ve been to two plants run by farmers´co-operatives. One which dealt mainly with peanuts, and one that dealt mainly with maize. They are run in the most organised way, and it makes me realise that herding cats only happens when people have too much choice. These guys have set up a ´club of clubs´ which collects, processes, packets, and sells the products - organic food direct from the growers. They are still battling the legacy of being known for exporting contraband and struggling to find markets abroad.

How do you go about engaging the people? Well, it seems it slowly happens and you reel them in slowly, catching them with something simple that takes their imagination, until their curiosity and need to learn takes over. And the numbers grow.

I´m hearing the same things again and again. Now it is that Ticbolivia has a group of people with unrivalled skills. That there are opportunities to be exploited, networks to grow, and money for these so terribly poor communities. But some of it may need to come from within by diverting money going currently to the incumbent. And one thing which can be transported back across the Atlantic is the olde worlde opportunities that are creating new jobs here. Taking phone messages for people on the only phone there is in the community, providing information about market prices for locally produced products, and contacts (regional, national and international) for sales and marketing of the products from here, and creating an unmissable local radio station.

Today has been really quite astounding. Finding a small pig attached to the bottom of the satellite pole in amongst many fig trees in the garden of the council buildings in muddy El Villar has to be the moment of the day, although there were many more that came very close! Elisabeth and I are going to stay in proper alojamiento rather than in the bunk room attached to the Telecentre, where you only get one blanket, and it´s so cold and we are so tired.......Back to Sucre first thing in the morning, and maybe then I will find out if I can stay a little longer.

I´´ll be back. There are courses and events to run here as well as networks to build.....:o)


This little piggy had a Net connection....