Barbara Choque, 68, travelled 10 hours by bus from her home in the Camachu province near the Peruvian border to come to La Paz to get a birth certificate. Doña Barbara only speaks Aymara, her native language.

Claiming the Bonosol

She has come here to sort out her documents so that she can claim the Bonosol – a non-contributory state pension of 1,800 Bolivianos (approximately US$225) a year available to all Bolivians who are 65 or older.

Like most people in her village, Doña Barbara has never had a birth certificate – they are very hard to get and the administrative process can take a long time. She has been in La Paz for a month and a half now. The service at the socio-legal centre is free but she will have to pay 65 Bolivianos ($8) to the government registry office for the birth certificate.

Doña Barbara's husband is 70 and he does not get the Bonosol either. He does not have a birth certificate but he is too weak to travel to La Paz to organise one.

Working to survive

Back in their village, Doña Barbara and her husband are subsistence farmers. They are still farming – growing potatoes and wheat – because they have no other income. According to Barbara, they "work all the time" even when they feel ill, which is often.

Their daughter, Maria, says her parents are struggling. "They have no electricity and they don’t have enough food," she sighs. "Older farmers get no help from the government. My sister, Rosa, and I send our parents parcels of food and clothes. I worry about them. Once a year I go and visit, but I can’t leave my own family more often than that.”

At the socio-legal centre, the staff have now helped Doña Barbara to get her birth certificate so that she can claim the Bonosol. "Mama and Papa really need the money," says Maria. "They need to buy more food. It’s no wonder they both suffer from stomach pains – they eat nothing but potatoes. We would bring them to live here but they don’t like the town. They are used to their village."