Our pastoral workin San Miguel of Italaque (Bolivia)

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.

Socio-cultural contextLiving 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.

Socio-cultural contexteAs 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.

Formation of catechistsIn 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.

Formation of catechistsTo 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.

Formation of catechistsTo 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.

Biblical circlesTaking 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...)

Participative EucharistsBy 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.

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.

Preparation for marriageEvery 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.

Sayt’asim CenterBy means of “Sayt’asim” (Stand up) Center, we deepen the living of the

Ghospel in the hearth of our culture, with a preferential love for the poor, facilitating comunal integral autopromotion, especially in the lives of women,

conscientizizing everyone to break down patriarchy & its consequences…

Sayt’asim CenterA 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. “We don’t only call for ‘changes in structures’, because new

structures serve for nothing if there aren’t new men and women to guide and to live these structures that the country wants.”

Sayt’asim CenterTo 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.

Sayt’asim CenterAs a result of this, together we developed “la Casa de Artesanía de

Huyu Huyu”, which became the seat of the Center, providing adequate & dignified spaces dignos for the integral formation of 6 distinct

communities of the parish.

Child developmentWe provide for children of 3 to 5 years an educaction directed at the

development of their cognitive, affective & physical capacities, countering the effects of beeing carried, wrapped tightly from birth, all day lon (e.g.:

lack of motor stimulation, constant colds, poor nutrition, etc.).

Child developmentFor this reason, we offer to the children adequate space,

balanced nutrition, good hygiene habits & overall stimulation.

Alternative pedagogyTo 120 children & adolescents from 6 to 14 years, who don’t have in their homes a study environment nor an adequate diet, but who live without enough rooms & high levels of malnutrition, we give

the opportunity to develop their capacities & complete school work.

Alternative pedagogyWe help them to claim their own power to transform their situation, by way of a personnalized education; by a pedagogy of tenderness, play & responsabiilty, we analize their learning difficulties to raise

their self-esteem and their level of interest in study.

Alternative pedagogyAs opposed to a top-down or “banking” education received in their high school, we use alternative methods, strategies & activities, permitting them to convert

their poersonal capacities into cognitive, social & productive abilities.

Food & nutritionTo prevent poor school performance and counter malnutrition in

children & adolescents who have to work between 3 & 6 hours, we provide them balanced diet capable of renewing their strength.

Food & nutritionTo 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.

Community productionWe provide a communal & integral autopromotion scheme, respeting the

dignity of each person, family & community so that they continue bettering their quality of life, by means of their own work, so that they accostumed to

share in the process and not to wait to receive everything from outside sources.

Community productionCorresponsabily, the members of the workshop & sell hand weaved

garment, improving the quality of their work untill they arrive at export quality. Capitalizing on their own ressources, some have stopped migrating to the coca producing zones and the cities.

Community productionAfter involving all the educational actors of the high school of Huyu Huyu, we have made reality a true productive & communial education, awrding

fotitular por the first time diplomes to 21 of the young high school students as certified in manual machine weawing.

Formative workshopsAt the same time, the participants acquire the conscience to be

members of a community of faith, protagonists of their own human development & authors of the change of injust structures.

Formative workshopsIn several of our information & formation workshops, important persons for our mission participated with great simplicity. Father Elí Chavez, CM, y &

Most Reverend Eugenio Scarpellini, our bishop, both celebrated the existence of this new space where our faith is concretized as love of neighbours.