The Bolivian Experience

We leave around 8:30, hoping to get to Sanipaya by 10... the road is so bad, we stop to help a stranded truck, Doña Ana doesn't waste any time, and begins using her pushkin to spin wool.

We finally arrive to the small Andean community, completely enamored by the scenery but frustrated as we seem to be the only ones who got the memo of the "wool dyeing workshop" a volunteer was to present that day. Another setback... we wait... we take pictures... we start boiling the water for the cochinilla, which is a base of dried and crushed red parasites that live on cactus plants.

In the end, a couple of women showed up, strolling up to the house we were holding the workshop as if they were casually stopping by. This community has approximately 90 weavers in their Club de Madres so you can see why we were a bit disappointed when a mere 9 women showed up! In the end, the 3-day workshop in various communities was successful for the women who attended.
More than anything it was amazing to see the beautifully rich colors that could be acquired for the most part from plants and flowers that grow in abundance in these regions. Most of the women in Bolivia knit and weave, and seeing them make something so complex and rich out of a pile of wispy sheep's wool and eucalyptus leaves, suico, and macha macha had me dumbfounded the entire trip. As volunteers working in most parts of Bolivia, we see that it is not the resources that are lacking, but the often times poor organization and valuation of their labors.
In the end, as human resources we can do little more than plant the seeds of opportunity.
An opportunity in this case for these Cochabamba communities to form a recognized association with statutes, goals, and a united voice to ask for resources from their local governments;
An opportunity for women who often times see little of their families income, and hold even less of it;
An opportunity for these women to continue relying on their natural surroundings and relive the historical importance of their weavings, despite the modern conveniences that make imported fabrics much more available.
The four days we were at these workshops, the sun didn't shine once. It rained, and rained, even snowed! However, the perseverance of the women that did attend, and of those men and women who helped facilitate the workshop was impressive. And in a world of continual instant gratification, the intangible results we as Peace Corps volunteers usually achieve can often times be demoralizing. But we know the sun will shine again, and we must find comfort in knowing that we often times reach men, women, and children in ways we are unable to see in the moment... sometimes you just need to look for it in their faces, their kind words, and your own heart knowing you gave it your best.