Montero-Bolivia

About Bolivia

Bolivia is a beautiful, geographically diverse, multiethnic, and democratic, country in the heart of South America. It is surrounded by Brazil to the northeast, Peru to the northwest, Chile to the southwest, Argentina and Paraguay to the south. It shares with Peru control of Lake Titicaca (Lago Titicaca), the world’s highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m).

Bolivia has the highest concentration of indigenous groups in Latin America. Together, Quechua and Aymara make up more than half the population of Bolivia. One-third of the population speaks Quechua, with half of those being bi-lingual in Spanish.

Bolivia is one of the least developed countries in South America. Almost two-thirds of its people, many of whom are subsistence farmers, live in poverty. Population-density ranges from less than one person per square kilometer in the southeastern plains to about ten per square kilometer (twenty-five per sq. mi) in the central highlands. As of 2006, the population is increasing about 1.45% per year.

Bolivia is divided into nine departments (departamentos); capitals in parentheses:

• Beni (Trinidad)
• Chuquisaca (Sucre)
• Cochabamba (Cochabamba)
• La Paz (La Paz)
• Oruro (Oruro)
• Pando (Cobija)
• Potosí (Potosí)
• Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
• Tarija (Tarija)

Additionally, the departments are further divided into 100 provinces (provincias), and the provinces are each divided into various numbers of cantons (cantones), and municipalities (municipalidades), which handle local affairs.

Bolivia has two capital cities: La Paz and Sucre. There are two international airports: one located in La Paz and another in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The airport in Santa Cruz is named “Viru Viru”. There are daily flights from/to Miami.

 

About Montero

Montero is located one hour north of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The city and the population are growing rapidly. The population of 90,000 is mainly from aboriginal background. As a typical Bolivian and South American town, there is a main plaza surrounded by business, public and private organization, a Catholic church, and few banks. Most homes in Montero have electricity and water. However, further away from the plaza, the roads are dusty.

 

Most of the people living in Montero are from the Highlands and the rural areas of Santa Cruz. The North-West area of the city where CLEM is functioning is not an exception as its population came to the area to work and look for better incomes, education, and health opportunities. Therefore, this mixture of cultures originated its own cultural identity within the region.

 

 

 

Neighborhoods within the area are organized in “Territorial Organizations of Basis”, OTBs, each one lead by an elected person who represents the population in actions to improve their level of living.

This population has a high index of child morbi-mortality, high incidence of diseases, malnutrition, low expectations for social and professional growth, school absenteeism, low self-esteem, family disintegration, domestic violence, delinquency, alcoholism, and drug addiction.

 

Most of the families have 6 integrants and a person who sustain them and lead the house. However, in some families, even children also cooperate with the household income either by working as shining shoe boys, making bricks and harvesting the sugar canes.

 

There are primary and middle schools, as well as one state university. Although most children attend school, many others skip classes.

 

Many of the families are physically dismembered due to the parents going to Spain, or Argentina, or in the fields of another department inBolivia. Therefore, it is common for many children to be under the care of their grandparents or other relatives.

 

The income is mostly based on commerce and informal jobs (motorcycle taxi drivers, painters, bricklayers, shippers, gardeners, and others) with an approximate daily income of 25 Bs ($3 USD). For the population of Las Tejerias, Tierras Nuevas, and Montegrande, the main income comes from the production of house bricks where whole families participate in the daily tasks.

 

Thanks to the efforts and daily work of all the inhabitants, the city of Montero keeps growing and is the main engine of agricultural growth in Santa Cruz and Bolivia.