HelpAge International has helped older people make their voices heard in Bolivia’s new political climate since the historic election of Evo Morales in December 2005.

The majority of older people in Bolivia face poverty and marginalisation. 63% of those over the age of 60 live in poverty; 69% of older people classify themselves as indigenous; 47% have no education; and 32% speak only their native language.

These factors combine with a lack of knowledge of older people’s rights and a gender bias throughout the life course to leave older people, especially women, facing extreme poverty and exclusion in old age.

Aims

HelpAge International was funded by the Andean Unit of Department for International Development (UK) to help older people and the organisations representing them present their demands and views in the media.

The project enabled older people to bring the poverty and social exclusion they face to the attention of the media, government representatives and the general public, so as to raise awareness and begin to change policy in favour of older people.

Activities

We trained over 100 older people from a variety of organisations in La Paz, El Alto, Oruro, Potosi and Sucre to help them develop clear messages for the media, learn interview and presentation techniques, and support them in engaging with media representatives from radio, television and newspapers.

About half of the trainees were older women. Many of them were from Aymara speaking indigenous groups and could not communicate in the Spanish spoken by mainstream media. They often lacked education, and in some cases were unable to read.

Achievements

Despite the obstacles, older women and men succeeded in developing and placing stories on issues affecting them, such as:

• older people’s poverty and difficulties in accessing the Bonosol – a universal non-contributory pension and the only source of regular income for many older people;
• older people’s rights and the laws which protect them such as the National Older People’s Health Insurance Scheme; and
• older people’s participation in national development processes such as the Constituent Assembly set up by president Evo Morales, which began its work in August 2006.

The project enrolled the support of ten communications students who helped the older people’s groups develop their material and set up media events. This proved very successful and also provided an opportunity for intergenerational exchange and awareness.

18 media champions were identified among journalists from national and local media organisations, to broadcast the older people’s stories in over 100 events and interviews.

As a result of the project older people feel much more confident and are able to speak clearly and knowledgeably in the local and national media to make their voices heard and push for pro-poor policy change. “Now I realise that we have to keep fighting for our rights – we have a lot to give,” said one older person participant.

The future

All the media champions have confirmed their willingness to continue to raise the issues presented by the older people in the new political scenario Bolivia is facing.

“Before this project, I just did news items, but developing a discussion programme with older people was really fulfilling,” said one media champion from ERBOL (a Bolivian educational radio station).

“Older people have a lot to give and a wealth of experience which we should be collecting. The opportunity is now there for them whenever they want to take it.”