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The Need for UAC-CP in Bolivia |
Bolivia is one of the least-developed countries in the Western hemisphere and the poorest in South America. The Quechua and Aymara indigenous peoples of Bolivia survive primarily through subsistence farming on small plots of land generally of poor soil quality. They have little or no access to healthcare and education. With the exception of the UAC-CP, higher education is essentially inaccessible.
At the core of UAC-CP's mission is the principle that education is the foundation of growth, and the need for sustainable growth is great in the rural Andean highlands, where 94% of people live on less than two dollars a day. A 2004 World Bank study showed the following statistics for Bolivia:
- Rural and urban poverty rates are much higher among the indigenous than the non-indigenous population (86% versus 74% in rural areas, and 59% versus 47% in urban areas)
- The incidence of child labor is nearly four times higher among indigenous than non-indigenous children.
- The indigenous population has 3.7 fewer years of schooling than the non-indigenous population.
- An increase of 3.7 years of schooling for the indigenous would result in a 58% increase in wages.
- Illiteracy is particularly concentrated among the female indigenous population, affecting one of every four women over the age of 35.
- In 2002, 18% of the non-indigenous population aged 15 years or older was in school, compared to 8% of the indigenous population. Secondary and tertiary schooling for indigenous people were also low.
Source: Hall, Gillette and Harry Anthony Patrinos (2004) “Indigenous Peoples, Poverty, and Human Development in the Americas: 1994-2004” www.worldbank.org
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