UNODC programme helps create new hope for working youth in Bolivia

The UNODC field office in Bolivia has piloted a programme aimed at developing both skills and attitudes among working youth between 8-18 years of age. The programme is sponsored by the Drug Abuse Prevention Centre (DAPC) in Japan and implemented by Caritas.

In Bolivia, the most complex structural problem is poverty. Nearly 30 per cent of the population lives on less than one dollar a day, a situation that is forcing children, juveniles and young persons to find informal employment on city streets. Some sell sweets, ice-cream and newspapers; others clean shoes or call out the routes on public transport. Those trained in different trades, now work in small carpentry and craft shops.

Life on the streets is a daily struggle for youth, who are obliged to take on family, social and financial responsibilities, while constantly seeking alternative means of subsistence and personal advancement. School, work and the streets represent different learning environments that shape their personalities and lifestyles.

Taking note of working youth’s special needs, UNODC is carrying out a risk and decision-taking project in six Bolivian cities, with the support of DAPC and Caritas. Through the project, trained facilitators monitor and provide assistance to the different youth groups, sharing with them innovative experiences.

The programme emphasizes both self-reliance and joint group responsibilities. A group formed in the city of Cochabamba, for example, undertakes activities that are self-supporting through sales of self-manufactured ice-cream, and earnings are distributed equitably among participants. Some of the profit is allocated to purchasing food for daily meals, which group members also take turns in preparing. Together they plan their budgets for manufacturing the product and buying ingredients, and they explore creative self-funding alternatives. Thanks to this methodology, there is an immense sense of individual and group commitment among the participants.

These youth, many of whom have abused drugs and alcohol in the past, also learn life skills such as time management and punctuality through their coordination and participation in a variety of activities, such as sports events and community initiatives. Youth also follow evening study courses, where they receive educational support and have access to recreational facilities. For most participants, it is an ongoing challenge and a learning experience to balance their activities and responsibilities properly, but together they make it work.