Entrants's Name: María Victoria Pérez Oropeza

Country: Bolivia

Field: Community Development

Innovation - idea: Bolivian historians and knowledgeable intellectuals of Latin and North America have stated that the concept of the Warisata Escuela-Ayllu Model was the solution for educational, social, economic and cultural problems of Bolivia. It was an integral school based on the Incan ayllu institutions, created in 1931 and destroyed in 1940 by the oligarchic governments. The Fundación Elizardo Pérez has been working for several years in re- establishing the basic concepts that are still in force as a model for development and nation building, based on the educational nuclear structure, that takes into consideration the basic problems of land, productivity and culture identity.

Innovation - why it is pioneering: The present 21st. century state of affairs is ideal to re- establish, rebuild and refocus the Model, considering the last year’s demands for social change. Our focus is that an educational reform cannot be isolated from other development problems. The Model contemplates the integration of the entire community’s life.

Strategy - how it achieves impact: Today, indigenous groups in Bolivia claim for the recognition of their ancestral institutions and their identity. According to the indigenous way of thinking, it is important to look back in order to project oneself to the future. That is our focus, we look back with them, so we can become a part of their world to fully understand their needs and the best way to project themselves into the future.

Strategy - growth plans: Our strategy is to build, over the next 5 years, 16 nucleus under the concepts of the Warisata Model. To a certain extent, the Model disseminates and replicates by itself through the nuclear system originated in the Incan territorial, political and economic structure of the ayllu. The sectional schools depended upon the nucleus. This structure was administered by the community members under the Amauta’s Parliament (the amautas are wise old men). Under the Parliament, there were several commissions in charge of all aspects of life: land, justice, agriculture, education etc. Productivity, the major part of the growth, made these nucleus sustainable, they radiated throughout the country, even more, communities from far away went to Warisata to learn the structure and adapt it to their regions.

Impact to date: We have been working for more than a year in Llica, Department of Potosí, one of the poorest regions of Bolivia. Due to the great interest of this community in our project, after several visits to the region, we implemented one workshop. As a result, we organized, with the local authorities, a Regional Educational Congress, based upon the Model; about 200 hundred community representatives will attend this event that will take place the last week of March. There are two additional communities on the Altiplano, Korpa and Chigani, that have asked us to begin to work with them. Professionals in different fields, as well as public and private authorities have given us their personal support and want us to be included in their development projects.

Future impact: We are not alone, Engineer Epifanio Pacheco, an Ashoka fellow, is presently working in Sucre on the revitalization of the ayllu. He deals with the laws that determine the ownership of the land. Mr. Pacheco will be part of the Congress mentioned above, and will give orientation to the ayllu authorities on how to preserve the ayllu structure. This year, Bolivia will have a Constituent Assembly to debate issues including education and territory rights. The new government has presented a plan in which Congress will debate a future law called: “Elizardo Pérez for Education and Culture”. Ten years from now, we plan to have replicated 30 nucleus, located in strategic areas of each department of Bolivia. Education for nation building is the impact we want to reach.

Sustainability - resource base: Our human resources are in the communities, where we concentrate most of our work; we count on the members and the authorities of the ayllus, municipalities and schools; we also have the use of infrastructure in Llica and Korpa, for our seminars and future Congresses. We have also the support of professionals, in different areas, that represent their institutions, such as Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Asociación de Universidades Privadas, Universidad Tecnológica Boliviana; volunteers with experience on arts and crafts, education, production, etc. As the Fundación has just begun, we finance our trips, materials, and the central office in La Paz with our own funds. We have made agreements with different institutions for future partnerships, as well as important contacts with government officials.

Major challenge for the field: Revitalize the knowledge of our ancestors and the ayllu institutions that will bring about nation building. Revitalize the philosophy of the Model: effort, work and learning by doing . Finally, our participation in national and international events, as a means of an important input to the theme of land and territory in connection with education.

Contact Information:

Maria Victoria Perez Oropeza

Name: María Victoria Pérez Oropeza
Country: Bolivia
Website: http://www.fundepbo.org