Bolivia, 2009

Youth are rarely seen as community leaders. But when Outreach International began working in Lobo Rancho, Bolivia, youth took the initiative. When they did, they increased job, food and health security for themselves and 90% of the families in the village.

“Can you believe it?” Jorge exclaimed to his friends Alejandro and Filomón. “We’re professional barbers now!”

They had just graduated from hairdressing training, an outcome of their groupwork with Outreach International. In the rural areas of Bolivia, adolescents joined gangs, used drugs, and abandoned school. But these ten youth were different. They had created a more secure future with this new skill.

So when they met that afternoon with Maria, Outreach International facilitator, she praised their success. But Filomón was quiet. 

Bigger problems

“I’m happy too,” Filomón told Maria. “But  I am worried about my mother. She’s sick.”

His mother Indalicia had been a strong and tenacious woman. Like most women in her community, she prepared meals, pastured animals, sowed and harvested, and cared for children. But at age 55, she had developed a chronic cough, and found it hard to breathe.

Filomón said it was because of their old woodstove.

The mothers used traditional stoves, the way they had cooked for generations. More than half of the 9.5 million Bolivians live in rural areas and 75% of the rural population use woodstoves. The stoves fill homes with smoke, cause respiratory problems, strip the land of wood, and cover everything in soot.

A youth initiative

“Perhaps we could tackle this issue, too.” Filomón asked hopefully, and Maria agreed.

Using the organizing skills they learned to acquire hairdresser training, the youth wrote a proposal to install healthier stoves available through a national campaign for clean cooking energy. They found a source for the stoves and would provide the labor themselves.

But then, a setback: a bad harvest put over 100 village families at risk. The youth acted quickly to find a source for flour, lentils, and other foods for their community and for another 23 families in nearby communities. Without them, the families would have gone hungry.

When the youth could turn their attention back to the stoves, they also negotiated grills, cement, chimneys and other materials. They began tearing out the old stoves and building new ones, learning carpentry skills in the process. Soon, new stoves were in every kitchen. Including Filomón’s.

“I had not thought of changing my kitchen,” Indalicia said. “But now I understand. He has put out the fire. There is no smoke to make us cough or cry; we use less firewood, and there is time for other things.” Like planting gardens, and teaching young women to cook. And breathing easier.

Change includes all ages

It was possible because the youth were empowered to envision and act on the needed change. Maria says, “Outreach International encourages women, men, old or young to organize and identify the problem, plan, mobilize, and evaluate results. When any one group does the work, their actions benefit the whole community.”

The greatest benefit? The youth have learned to speak up and act: “I can talk more fluently,” says Jorge. “When I see the situations of others, I think about how I can help,” says Filomón. And they have created futures that are more secure: secure occupations, and health security for all.

Outreach International empowers people of all ages to find their voice, create their own future, and respond to others. In doing so, the youth of Bolivia changed life both for themselves, and their community. And Filomón now knows that together they can do anything.