Our pastoral work in San Miguel of Italaque (Bolivia)

1. Our pastoral work in San Miguel of Italaque(Bolivia)

2. Geographical Context At 200 km from La Paz, the 3.000 aymaras of Italaque Parrish live in 5 villages on the Altiplano (a hard & dry climate), at 3.800 m, & 25 villages in the interandean valleys (humid & temperate climate), between 3.600 & 2.600 m, connected by treacherous dirt roads, above all during the rainy season.

3. Socio-cultural context Living by raising sheep, cattle, llamas & alpacas, & by cultivating of potatoes, corn, beans & cereals (quinua, wheat, rye), the Aymaras of the zone are also profoundly marked by 2 centuries of incan domination & by almost 4 centuries of spanish colonization.

4. Socio-cultural contexte As a dirtect consequence of their history, the large majority of Aymaras of the zone suffer from low self-esteem, jealousy, social alcoholism, machismo & family violence, fonctional illiteracy, lack of perspective & massive rural exodus, superstition & syncretism.

5. Formation of catechists In this context, we work at the permanent formation of catechists, charged with celebrating the Word and preparing baptisms. Centered in the Plan of Salvation, we meet 6 times a year to prepare the celebrations, to eat & to pray together, to teach & to learn, by way of pedagogy workshops with constantly renewing alternative methods.

6. Formation of catechists To stimulate their comprehension & participation, we use socio-drama, group work, songs & dynamics. While appropiating faith content, the catechists learn to formulate a personal & critical perspective, to speak publicaly & work in teams.

7. Formation of catechists To form leaders who think critically, able to resist the rise of sects, we participate actively in the formation provided at zonal reunions where pastoral agents of 16 parishes meet, giving interactive workshops. Here, Violeta, psychologist in charge of the social ministry of the parish, teaches family planning.

8. Biblical circles Taking off from the lives of the Aymaras & illuminated by the Word of God, the biblical circles stimulate the participation of everyone. In this way, since they don’t know how to read, they assimilate something of the topics (gender equity, self-esteem, health, respect for life, education, the right to land, jealousy, alcoholism, community justice...)

9. Participative Eucharists By means of the biblical circles, we try to have a more understandable, participative & interactive Mass, highlighting among ather moments the presentation of local products & the final blessing with holy water.

10. Participative Eucharists For memorial Masses, the families present their deceaseds’ preferred foods. Before Christmas, we gather the children to prepare creches of clay & Christmas’ songs. In Holy Week, we present a dramatic Way of the Cross. For other feasts, we deepen the religious sense that the sponsors of the feast have & we try to limit the phenomenon of excessive drinking.

11. Preparation for marriage Every year, above all the “even” years, with a multidisciplinary team, we organize in the 4 zones of the parish sessions for marriage preparation, in groups and/or with couples, which give experience couples the means to analyze & improve what they’ve built together, & to understand how the sacrement can help them.

12. Sayt’asim Center Bymeans of “Sayt’asim” (Stand up) Center, wedeepenthe living of theGhospel in thehearth of our culture, with a preferentialloveforthepoor, facilitating comunal integral autopromotion, especially in thelives of women, conscientizizingeveryone to break downpatriarchy & itsconsequences…

13. Sayt’asimCenter A key moment in the process allows the participants to realize that they can improve their quality of life, whithout migrating to the coca producing regions or the big cities. “Wedon’tonlycallfor ‘changes in structures’, because new structuresserve for nothing iftherearen’t new men and women to guide and to livethesestructuresthatthe country wants.”

14. Sayt’asimCenter To arrive at autopromotion & avoid creating “clients”, it is indispensible that the people of the locality commit to participate by doing or giving their part, for exemple working for the Center.

15. Sayt’asim Center As a result of this, together we developed “la Casa de Artesanía de HuyuHuyu”, which became the seat of the Center, providing adequate & dignified spaces dignos for the integral formation of 6 distinct communities of the parish.

16. Child development Weprovideforchildrenof 3 to 5 yearsaneducactiondirected at thedevelopment of theircognitive, affective & physicalcapacities, counteringtheeffects of beeingcarried, wrappedtightlyfrombirth, alldaylon (e.g.: lack of motor stimulation, constantcolds, poornutrition, etc.).

17. Child development Forthisreason, weoffer to thechildrenadequatespace, balancednutrition, goodhygienehabits& overallstimulation.

18. Alternative pedagogy To 120 children & adolescentsfrom 6 to 14 years, whodon’thave in theirhomes a studyenvironmentnoranadequatediet, butwholivewithoutenoughrooms & highlevels of malnutrition, wegivetheopportunity to developtheircapacities & complete schoolwork.

19. Alternative pedagogy Wehelpthem to claimtheirownpower to transformtheirsituation, by way of a personnalizededucation; by a pedagogy of tenderness, play & responsabiilty, weanalizetheirlearningdifficulties to raisetheirself-esteem and theirlevel of interest in study.

20. Alternative pedagogy As opposed to a top-downor“banking” educationreceived in theirhighschool, we use alternativemethods, strategies & activities, permittingthem to converttheirpoersonalcapacitiesintocognitive, social & productiveabilities.

21. Food & nutrition To preventpoorschool performance and counter malnutrition in children & adolescentswhohave to workbetween 3 & 6 hours, weprovidethembalanceddietcapable of renewingtheirstrength.

22. Food & nutrition To cover the cost of food & labor rotation of the cooks, we make & sell ice-pops every day, but we need funding to sosten this fondamental area of Child development & Alternative pedagogy.

23. Community production Weprovide a communal & integral autopromotionscheme, respetingthedignity of eachperson, family & community so thattheycontinuebetteringtheirquality of life, bymeans of theirownwork, so thattheyaccostumed to share in theprocess and not to wait to receiveeverythingfromoutsidesources.

24. Community production Corresponsabily, themembers of the workshop & sellhandweavedgarment, improvingthequality of theirworkuntilltheyarrive at exportquality. Capitalizingontheirownressources, somehavestoppedmigrating to thecoca producing zones and thecities.

25. Community production Afterinvolvingalltheeducationalactors of thehighschool of HuyuHuyu, wehavemadereality a true productive & communialeducation, awrdingfotitular por thefirst time diplomes to 21 of theyounghighschoolstudents as certified in manual machine weawing.

26. Formative workshops At thesame time, theparticipantsacquiretheconscience to be members of a community of faith, protagonists of theirown human development & authors of thechange of injuststructures.

27. Formative workshops In several of ourinformation & formation workshops, importantpersonsforourmissionparticipatedwithgreatsimplicity. Father Elí Chavez, CM, y & MostReverend Eugenio Scarpellini, ourbishop, bothcelebratedtheexistence of this new spacewhereourfaithisconcretized as love of neighbours.