I also see changes which will affect our future, perhaps for a brief time, possibly for an extended time. First is the loss of our Farmer to Farmer Program and secondly, the social and political climate of Bolivia. 

We may have some control over the future of our FTF program as the USAID contract for South America was awarded to Winrock. I hope that they will work with us and help to continue that which has been started and invite us to initiate new programs. Let’s keep in mind that before FTF was a part of the Arkansas/Eastern Bolivia Partners, we had a very successful Agriculture Committee.

Unfortunately, we have no control over the political situation in Bolivia. I’ve heard the ‘old timers’ speaking of impossible situations that Arkansas Partners could find themselves in during the 60’s and 70’s. One Partner being secreted out during the night to another country to catch a plane to yet another country to finally return home. Airports and Universities would close without warning. The Government would shut down after, once again, a new leader overthrew the existing leader. The value of currency could fluctuate by the hour. We had no faxes, no e-mail. Our phone calls were routed through La Paz and completed when you were ‘next’ on the list or possibly at the whim of the operator. It could take a day or more.

In spite of all of this we continued coming and going, secure in the knowledge that our Bolivian friends would keep us from harm's way. Bolivias’ aspiring President of today brings more dangers. More concerns for our travelers. And, yet, I believe we can do our work as long as we continue to travel in peace and love. We’ve involved ourselves in the political arena, perhaps not a good choice if the President is forced out of office or resigns. I hope my concerns will have resolved themselves by the time this goes to print. I pray this is so. 

For the immediate past, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your president. Thank you for working with me in all areas. This thanks also extends to the Washington staff. There are many things left undone, there always will be as there is so much to be done. I treasure new Partner friendships that have come from traveling to Northwest Arkansas with some sort of regularity. I value my old and new Partner friends in Central Arkansas. Every Bolivian traveler is a new friend and a new memory. I cherish each and every Partner friendship and will keep these forever.. I extend my hands to Susan Heily, our incoming President. I know that everyone will support her, bearing in mind that being a  successful President is not a one-man job.

Sincerely,
Thecia Taylor
President
thecia@ipa.net
 

1900-2000 paved the way for my participation in Partners here in Arkansas and a philosophical and spiritual growth period for me. I won’t bore you with all the details, but several truths for me became my own and directed and still direct me in all of my volunteer work. 

First, no matter how “solo” I am, I am not alone.

Secondly, Partners taught me that what I can give is never as much as I get from giving. Finally, sharing enriches me by giving me satisfaction and joy.

It seems to me that there is in the 21st century a dire need for individual diplomacy, and Partners answers that uniquely. Let us continue to seize the challenges to exchange and apply our warmth, fellowship, talents, time and gifts at every social event, meeting and communication throughout Arkansas and Bolivia. 

Our group is a vital aspect of Arkansas. Together the possibilities for a positive future in the Western Hemisphere are limitless. Let us continue our part in the individual diplomacy adventure.

Susan Heily
Vice President
Sue_Heily@hotmail.com

The tragedy visited upon us and the hurt we have all felt does not go away easily, but the determination to go forward, knowing we have sympathetic friends all over the world, and for us, experiencing the strong bonds of friendship forged through Partners of the Americas, strengthens our resolve to continue to overcome this tragedy and to continue to forge even stronger bonds of friendship through this partnership. 

It’s all up to us and our colleagues in East Bolivia. We can make of this partnership just what we want it to be. Sometimes, remembering helps. That’s my little message of hope for the future of the Arkansas-East Bolivia partnership.

Bob Frans
rfrans@uark.edu

Education
Margaret Clark reported on her discussions with Miguel concerning communications, general public education on health issues, and the role of education in domestic violence issues, especially regarding children. Miguel is interested in an education project regarding a drug prevention program for youth. 

Farmer to Farmer
Don Dombek’s written report covered two aspects. The first was concern over the ending the present contract for the work as of September 30, 2003. At this writing, no final decision had been made. Don proposes to focus on two projects - animal production and sustainable urban food production systems. Secondly, Don’s report covered travel updates, including Ron Morrow’s trip to East Bolivia, Juan Antonio’s trip from Bolivia to Arkansas, and proposed trips to Bolivia by John Goodwin and Jim Correll.

Health and Wellness
Thecia Taylor reported that efforts are underway to find a hand surgery doctor interested in traveling to Bolivia.

Membership
Ed Hawkins reported on his efforts to develop a questionnaire to aid in increasing membership, adding to our pool of talent and financial resources for our programs of work. He and Sue Heily are planning to produce a video to assist in membership recruitment.

Other Topics
There were other topics covered at this meeting. A discussion regarding the possible hosting of the 2005 International Conference in Arkansas, with inputs from Don Thurman, was held. It was agreed to form a committee to explore further these possibilities. The committee named was Margaret Clark, Chair, Le Ann Robertson, Bettie Lu Lancaster, Tom Green, Thecia Taylor, and Ed Hawkins, with Don Thurman advising.

The committee is to report at a later date. The International Meeting in Lexington was discussed, as well as the possibility of having the former President of Bolivia, Ing. Jorge Quiroga R. visiting the University of Arkansas for a major address.

My goal: provide instruction for turning kitchen scraps and other organic wastes into the “original black gold,” a.k.a. COMPOST!

The Arkansas-Eastern Bolivia Farmer to Farmer coordinator, Don Dombek, and I landed at quite an impressive vermicomposting project, already in full swing in Santa Cruz. Ing. Ramiro Sanchez of “Vallecito,” the research institute associated with the Universidad Autonoma Gabriel Rene Moreno (UAGRM), heads the well-established “worm farm” with the help of his thesis students in the agronomy department. 

Their Lumbricus rubellus are so popular that they can’t keep the local supermarkets’ shelves stocked with their castings! A liquid version of the fertilizer is also sold to help fund their project. The worm castings are an extremely  well-balanced source of N-P-K, as well as important micronutrients. Given the proper conditions, they can eat their own weight in food-wastes daily and double in population in only one month! The vermiculture set-up at Vallecito is among the best I’ve seen and I hope to work with them in the future to extend their technical knowledge to other schools in the area.

Also knee-deep in worms is Colonial Piraí, another agriculture school in Sta. Cruz I had the chance to visit last month. Piraí was founded 30 years ago with 100 abandoned hectares, nine dedicated people, one lazy horse, and a vision of building a community with substance. The school accepts street kids and children from low-income urban families to live on the rural campus on the edge of Sta. Cruz, bordering the river for which it’s named. There are 110 students between the ages of 16 and 24 working hands-on in the fields of agronomy, horticulture, and animal husbandry. At the end of the 3-year training, instead of staying in the city to find work, they return to their villages or be placed in various rural areas to provide outreach to campesinos. 

This helps address the lack of a Bolivian Agricultural Extension Service, such that is provided in the U.S. through land-grant universities. Piraí does not receive government funding and supports itself through a handful of private grants and selling commodities produced on the farm. Sadly enough though, each staff member is currently deciding between taking a mandatory pay cut or finding a better paying job elsewhere. Let’s hope they’re able to overcome adversity and continue with their good work. 

Overall, it was a wonderful trip; there never existed a dull moment, as I’m sure to which a lot of you previous volunteers can attest. I got the opportunity to meet a lot of self-motivated and promising young people in agriculture and feel I made great contacts, with which I plan to continue working. Thank you, Partners, for your support and sponsorship.

Fran is a recent graduate of the Environmental, Soils
and Water Science department at the U of A.

D. Establish links for future cooperation including student exchange.
Discussions were held with:
a. Dr. Christopher Pruett and several staff of Universidad Autonoma “Gabriel Rene Moreno”
i. Student exchange
1. Assistantships are sometimes available but requires student interested in a particular area, e.g. entomology, and with English skills
2. Explore graduate student opportunities with other visiting faculty from the University of Arkansas.
3. Explore  undergraduate summer internships for qualified students from Bolivia to spend three months at the U of A.
 

Purpose and Activities
The purpose was to work with Nur University students who are developing an art curriculum to use in their program for public high school students, supporting their development of the project, offering technical and dynamic support where possible. http://www.nur.edu/

>1..  I began by visiting the workshop and sitting in on music, drama, visual arts and dance sessions in order to see the youth programs in action. The street theater project was introduced that would be presented at their youth arts festival on August 16th, and there were some beginning practice sessions. It was powerful to watch the growth of the student's self-confidence as they began to practice their parts.

> 2.. I visited the public schools where the youth were attending, to get a sense of their world and see what they were receiving in terms of art in their schools. I
wanted to see their neighborhoods and know something about their environment.

> 3.. As we visited the high schools we invited the teachers from the public schools to come for a presentation. I led a three-hour activity and lecture at Nur on the value of art making for youth in terms of empowerment and learning on many levels. I gave information about the relationship of creative involvement for at risk youth and their ability to improve their scores in math and science as well as see
themselves as a change agent in their own lives. I led the teachers in an art exercise where they were able to express and share their own successes in their classes
and I presented ideas through a slide show of giant puppets and masks that I had created. 

This process was particularly relevant to this group because the projects could be made using inexpensive materials and can be done by students at any level of expertise, encouraging creativity through individual and group expression. The teachers were asked at the end of the session to draw something that they could take away with them to do in their classroom and many of them enthusiastically drew the giant puppets and theater props that they were shown. There were about fifteen in attendance. 

> 4.. One of the teachers was inspired by the presentation of creative alternatives in the classroom, as well as my later presentation of my own work. She wanted advice about creating a classroom that would be conducive to more creative work. Along with Vicente, a Nur University student, I created a classroom design for her.
 

> 5.. I attended a 40 hour class in Moral Leadership
Training offered by Nur University in order to understand the framework that the University students were using and be more able to help them develop a plan that would work for them. This was helpful in working on development of their curriculum as well as providing a structure in which I could work while demonstrating a group project, (the giant puppet project).

> 6.. I met with a small group of 6 to 8 Nur students for
curriculum development. This involved examining art and art making as an educational, expressive and empowering tool for working with youth. This group met four times for a total of about 12 hours. The information was brought to the larger group (12) of facilitators and a three-hour workshop was conducted for further elaboration on the understanding of the rational of the program.

> 7.. I met with several of the workshop leaders
individually to see where things were going well and
where they needed help. The prevalent problems seemed
to be in engaging the youth at the beginning. I
recommended beginning at a more basic level to create
an atmosphere of safety for the students and offering aids
such as masks for students just beginning theater
exercises to provide inspiration and a sense of safety.

My focus was on the way that the classes were taught
and in getting the message across that each student
could create and find their own creative voice. Technical
assistance in terms of possible supplies for the visual arts
section and literature was recommended for teaching a
variety of media as well as teaching basic skills such as
drawing and seeing. 

> 8.. I felt that I should know something about the cultural
background of the students involved so that I could help
them learn and work from their own traditions. Gabriela
Eguino arranged for me to tour the Museo de Folklorico
to learn about the history of masks, costumes and giant
puppets in the culture in and around Santa Cruz

> 9.. I visited with Yolanda Cabrera who had been
responsible for much of the collection at the Museo de
Folklorico and who has conducted folkloric dance
classes. She was able to give valuable information about
how many of the masks were used and expand on the
historical significance of the masks, puppets and
costumes in the museum as well as having more
examples to show. This information was also shown to
the workshop participants to educate them on their own
cultural history and motivate them in creating their own
art. I took photos that I presented in the mask and puppet
workshop and discovered that Jimmy, the teacher of
folkloric dance section of the student workshops, was well
versed in the masks, customs and dances and was able
to add more information to inspire development of masks
and giant puppets.

 > 10.. I gave a two- hour lecture to social work students
at the University about art therapy in healing from
domestic abuse. The students had been learning about
domestic violence and the teacher, Mary Martin, had
heard that I use art therapy to work with children in
battered women's shelters. This is an unknown field in
Bolivia and she wanted her students to know more.
There was an art activity and a question and answer
period and the students appeared to be active and
interested, asking many questions. She said that often
they leave early because it is a three-hour class, but on
this day most students remained for the entire period.
The class size was about 40.

> 11.. I gave a two-hour talk about my own work, entitled
"Art And Transformation" at a conference for art
students and the general public. I showed slides of
about 12 paintings and sculpture. I used myself as an
example to talk about how one can use creativity to
learn about themselves and express their own issues
and life view as well as to actually make life changes.

> 12.. Along with Marcello -I worked with youth ages 7
to 16 to make hand puppets at the Cabildo de Ninez.
The children were part of a program to empower youth
toward community involvement and were from a variety
of backgrounds. We met for three mornings totaling
about 8 hours. At the end of the session the children
knew how to create and manipulate a hand puppet and
were planning to create a play as well as teach other
children how to make their own puppets. One of the
older students has his own youth group and has plans
to make their own puppet shows. Marcello was also
excited about the large puppets and made drawings of
some of them so that they can create them for large
festivals that they have. We have made plans to keep in
touch via e-mail and I will send him more plans for large
puppets. The class totaled about 10 children.

> 13.. Through the Partners I met a painter, Charro
Viendo, who is giving free art lessons to disadvantaged
children, at the Art Museum. I was invited to her home
for dinner where I met other artists offering free art
lessons to children in their rural community and I visited
her studio and photographed examples of her students'
work. I also attended one of her sessions with the
children.

When I arrived she said that they were drawing
fruit and after they were going to eat it. She requested
that I participate in the still life drawing exercise as an
example to the children and I photographed each one
with his art piece and spoke to them about the value of
their doing art. She is preparing for an exhibition of her
work as well as working with the children in the Casa de
Cultura. There were about eight children present at the
time and the youngest was seven. The oldest was
fourteen.

> 14.. I met and worked with Nur University students to
create a giant banner for their Arts Festival. We worked
about 10 hours on the mural which gave the message
walking together to change the world. About 12 students
worked on the banner. In addition I gave feedback to
various students about projects as part of the festival.

> 15.. I toured Bellas Artes, a private arts school, and
met and consulted with Isabel Jordan, teacher of art, on
request by Aida McKinney who is the director. Isabel
was having difficulty in educating the parents of her
students in the value of experimentation and practice in
learning art, or viewing art making with an eye to the
process instead of the product. She was invited to
participate in the teacher workshop as well as the
puppetmaking workshop.

> 16.. I conducted a 20 hour workshop with 20 high
school students, college students and teachers worked
together to create three giant puppets and learned the
process of leading group art making projects, using the
giant puppet format. I worked with the students in total
preparation for the workshops so that they may be able to
teach the process.

Did you accomplish the purpose of your trip?
Yes we were able to come up with a written curriculum
and rationale for the art workshops conducted by Nur
students. The curriculum followed the curriculum
development plan put forth by Nur University and was
very explicit in spelling out the attributes that are aimed
for in creating change in both the community and in the
individual. 

We intentionally left open-ended the exact
steps the teachers should take to accomplish the goals so
that they may make them their own, and to encourage the
creativity of the teachers as well. There were several
ways that I encouraged the youth to learn more but I feel
that a follow up visit would be very helpful in supporting
their project

I wanted to introduce the idea that the process of
teaching and doing art is a focus for change, not just the
product. The leaders of the project stated that enthusiasm
for the projects had increased dramatically.

The students successfully completed three puppets and
have instructions to lead more workshops. The
coordinator wrote to say that now they have more
students who are excited about the projects and both
students and teachers who want to learn how to create
and teach giant puppet making. There was to be another
festival in September where they planned to use their
new resources.

In addition to the direct work with the youth I feel that
much was accomplished in working with the art teachers
in the public schools and many new ideas and directions
were encouraged, but they also need more support, ideas
and possibly fundraising ideas to be able to accomplish
some goals that they have.

One hope was that teachers in the public schools would
find some new reasons and ideas about how to
encourage their students to be more creative and
empowered in their art classes and many teachers
reported that they had gotten new ideas. One teacher
came to me after the presentation and asked for help in
designing a classroom in which she could help the
students to create.

Describe the results in measurable terms.
Bolivian time frames are different than in the US, so
adding extra time is important. It was a challenge getting
materials together although everything was available
there. I was not familiar with the sources. My ability to
speak Spanish did limit me somewhat although I
improved and was able to conduct some sessions in
Spanish. Total Spanish fluency would have been easier,
.but the people worked hard to understand me and were
very welcoming.

In addition to welcoming me with a reception and
celebrating my visit with a farewell barbeque, I
participated in the Partners of Americas meeting and
shared some of my projects and concerns with them.

Please describe how the host Partners chapter was
involved with your visit?

Partners provided room, board and transportation as
well as arranging my schedule and introducing me to the
arts community. Aida McKinney and Gabriela Eguino
were especially helpful in creating a very rich cultural
and creative experience for me. I was able to meet so
many creative people as well as many in the community
who are working on projects for their community in
refreshing new ways. Rosario Anaya offered her home
to me during my stay as well as her hospitality. I felt very
welcomed by the community and have come home with
many new ideas to do with my community and some
connections in Bolivia that I believe will be productive to
many.

With Jorge Rodriges, the chairman of the art
Department at Nur University, I visited the community
class of ceramics taught by Lorgio Vaca, celebrated
Santa Cruz muralist. We also attended the opening of
the painting exhibit by Fredy Escobar Vega, Cuban
artist.

Lorgio Vaca gave me a city tour of his works as well as
a tour of his private studio and the adjoining studios
where indigenous artists were creating their own work.
During this visit I was able to show him one of our giant
puppets that was in process and photos of others that I
had made and he felt there were many uses for them in
Santa Cruz. 

His wife is working with women in the outlying rural areas and was very enthusiastic about the possibility of my working with them, using this method.  Lorio Vaca was also able to give me a tour of Arte Campo, a local collective of artisans. The work of many pueblos were represented here and Senor Vaca was able to give me background information on the communities and the themes present there.

Tito Churimoto and Herminio Pedrazco provided and
evening meal and tour of their studios. Senor Churimoto
was preparing for an exhibition and brought our all of his
current work to share with me. I felt that I was able to
see many of the areas' stellar artists.

I visited the studio and home of woodworker Juan
Busilios, where there were representatives of many of
Bolivia's hardwoods. His work was very sensitive and he
has created a very beautiful environment.

I was invited to lunch by the civic action committee of
the Santa Cruz Campaneros, where I heard an informal
report of their projects. They shared with me some of
their ideas and issues regarding: the health care system
and making health care more accessible, domestic
violence issues and other issues working very closely in
an educational capacity with the local police.

And what kinds of follow-up activities are likely?

They were pleased at the amount of work accomplished
and were making plans to carry out projects inspired by my
residency. Skills have been shared for projects to follow.
The youth at Cabildo de Ninez were planning hand
puppetmaking workshops and also were interested in larger
puppets. The Nur students have another festival planned
for September and intend to carry out projects inspired by
my residency. They have written me to say that they have
many new students and the teachers from the public
schools have contacted them saying that they want to
learn how to create large puppets.

In addition, the youth at Nur have some guidelines to
follow in terms of how to use art to work encourage and
empower youth to grow, change and develop their own
understanding of their values. They do have my support
through e-mail as well as other artists and teachers who
now are aware of their program in Bolivia.

What are the expected or anticipated long-term benefits of your visit to the hosting chapter?

The long-term benefits are yet to be seen but the hope is
that many sectors of the population will be learning more
about art and creating. Art is a very powerful motivator for
action. When a person is creating they have shifted to an
acting position in life. It can be used to help a person
understand himself and grow as in a therapeutic or
personal growth setting. 

The act of doing art is also a way to practice ecision-making skills and children who create art tend to do well in other subjects in school and feel more empowered and hopeful for their future.

The teachers who attended the workshops will have more
resources with which to teach the youth and the youth will
become less passive and more active in determining their
own lives. 

The Nur students received new ideas and support for
their ongoing project and will develop skills for working with
younger students in a more effective and powerful way.
This will impact their lives directly in a sense of meaning,
connectedness and accomplishment in their lives and it will
impact the many youth with which they work. 

The high school youth who attend the art workshops conducted by the Nur youth will develop also a sense of self-worth and connectedness as well as higher learning skills which they practice while learning and practicing their art. 

The youth at Cabildo De Ninez are leaning how to be
active members in their community. The skills that they
gathered will make them more able to reach out and make
changes with other youth that they teach or create with.
They have plans to use these skills in plays and learning
circles.

It appears that it takes great strength and determination
and hope to survive in a country that is struggling
financially and socially as is Bolivia. I believe that the acts
of doing and sharing are very powerful personal tools in
making change both personally and communally. The
results of teaching art will be seen for many years.

These volunteer leaders are competent, dedicated, and
professional. Their enthusiasm and dedication was
obvious during that meeting. Eight members conducted a
lively, involved discussion of the group’s current
challenges and opportunities. Chairing the meeting was
Jose “Pepe” Pasten, president of the Partners CTPJ
subcommittee. Among other attendees was Miguel
Cortez, then Partners president, and Luis Fernandez,
communications specialist, who was translator, chauffeur,
and host for my visit.

Pepe told me that he was invited to attend a special
program at 7 p.m., after the meeting. The special program
was arranged by some 200 soon-to-graduate police cadets
that Pepe taught about dealing with citizens’ security. Pepe
invited me, Luis, and Simon Quinonez, a retired police
officer, to join him as honored guests. When 7 p.m.
arrived, the group discussion was so animated that 
Pepe couldn’t shut it off and we were late for the special
program.

That evening set the pattern for the following days of
learning more about the CCP, public perceptions of it, and
problems that the CTPJ must address. Typically, what
started out as a limited number of events, became packed
with a wide variety of relevant contacts. Delightfully, these
added-value contacts supplemented and enriched the
information gleaned from scheduled meetings. The
following examples illustrate the variety of helpful contacts
arranged by Luis, Pepe, and Miguel.

Luis arranged dinners near the start and end of my stay
with Gustavo, a man who has lived, studied, and worked
in Texas, USA, and the UK; his wife, a homemaker and
dentist; and his brother, who is a lawyer specializing in
trade matters. They offered intelligent, informed
observations on the justice system and the economy in
general.

Luis also arranged lunches that were similarly productive.
One was with a specialist in setting up electronic
equipment and a university president. Another was with a
dentist and a college professor, and so on.

An Ob-Gyn doctora, Desiree Mostajo, former
president of the Beni Partners chapter and now a leader of
Latin America Ob-Gyn doctors, practicing in Santa Cruz,
arranged two special dinners for me. At one, I met her
brother, a large cattle rancher in the Beni, and a young
nephew now living in Holland, who gave comparative
perspectives on Bolivia’s justice system. 

She also invited me to a dinner attended by three leading lawyers from La Paz and a woman journalist who formerly managed the justice section of that city’s major newspaper.
Understandably, their inputs were especially revealing and
interesting.

Susan Heily, the incoming president of Partners in
Arkansas, asked me to deliver a small gift to a Santa Cruz
friend who facilitates talented Bolivian students’ enrollment
in leading universities abroad, primarily in the US, UK, and
Spain. He carries a Bolivian passport to facilitate his
operations and travel—and shared insightful observations
about the justice system from his rich experience. Like
many persons, he stressed the need for educating citizens
and officials about the legal and law enforcement rules and
regulations in the new CCP so that the country could take
advantage of the opportunities it offers.

At a visit to a major police installation in the city, I was
told of some of the problems the police encounter, many
of them financial. (The most common complaint heard in
Santa Cruz relates to a lack of money.) Police are
underpaid, vehicles are not repaired, officers have to buy
their own weapons or go without, radios and equipment
that is taken for granted in the US are unaffordable. A
highlight of that visit was seeing a group of police officers
being taught by a civilian woman about the rights and
wrongs of how they are supposed to deal with citizens.

Following a visit with media representatives in Montero,
the owner of Radio Norte ranted for several minutes about
the need for a new, bigger jail. Finally, I asked him if the
city had a jail as big as he wants, would the justice system
help in dealing with crime? He answered that it would. On
that happy note, we shook hands and left the room
together.

A particularly insightful call on my agenda, was with Dr.
Alain Nunez, instructor of judges, Consejo de la
Judicatura. He teaches judges about the new justice
system, writes articles about how it works for El Deber
(major Santa Cruz daily newspaper), and holds news
conferences with area journalists, who lack knowledge of
how the system is supposed to work. He cited two oftmentioned problems:

• Police are not following the same rules/guidelines.
• Penal judges don’t think the same way; some try to follow the new laws, some are still guided by
the old legal system. New judges, not yet set in
their ways, need training to understand the central
meaning of the laws, helping bring consistency in
applying them.

He said he understood that Partners in Santa Cruz may
be near to signing a convention supporting the new
system. “We don’t want paper, we want action,” he said.
Judge Nunez is an important gatekeeper in educating
judges and citizens about the new laws. He spoke highly
of the US judicial system. For what it’s worth, I recommend
that he might travel to the US to gain additional first-hand
knowledge of our system.

These are representative of wide-ranging, informal
contacts I had with citizens of Santa Cruz. These contacts
gave me unstructured opportunities to evaluate public
perceptions of the CCP. 

The following section discusses “Challenges in More Effectively Implementing the CCP,” which indicates the breadth of the problems facing the system.

Challenges in More Effectively Implementing 
the CCP
In interviews with many citizens, including lawyers,
business owners, workers, plant managers, media people,
police officials, judges, and homemakers, several recurring
themes or complaints came in response to questions
about Bolivia’s relatively new code of criminal procedure
(CCP). The common thread is that people don’t trust the
judicial system or the police. Some oft-repeated complaints
and observations:
• The justice system is impaired by an
institutionalized system of “corruption,” as it was
frequently described. A majority of citizens
interviewed, including many lawyers, expressed
the view that the system is unfair—that well-to-do
people can make criminal and civil charges go
away by paying off officials.
• Many people believe that the new code favors
criminals; that some of those charged with crimes
are let off because the requirements for
successful prosecution are too stringent and that
police and observers don’t adequately report facts
required by the courts. One unintended
consequence is a surge in hiring of private guards
by businesses and individuals.
• There are repeated complaints about the police.
Young men and women now being trained seem
dedicated and eager. But the force is ill-equipped
and officers are poorly paid. At one police station,
many damaged police vehicles sit unused
because funds are not available to repair them.
Net: Too many serious criminals and other
lawbreakers know the police have limited ability to
deal with them.
• The judicial process is slowed in many cases
because judges lack adequate equipment. In one
typical case, eight judges must share one
computer, there is no camera or audio equipment
for use in courtrooms, and there is not enough
furniture.
• Contributing to the lack of trust in the justice
system and the police is the fact that some older
judges and police are used to the old ways, are
hesitant to change, and don’t want to adapt to the
new system. Conflict and inconsistencies within
the system—between old and new—is a key
problem.
Beyond these common themes and complaints are other
deeply held beliefs about what’s wrong with the system.
Some examples:
• A trio of leading lawyers from La Paz blamed the
media. One said that office-holders regularly send
money to media owners/managers in their
districts. If unfavorable news about an officeholder
is printed/broadcast in a media outlet, the
money flow stops. These lawyers said they were
sure that this dampened critical reporting of
crimes and official misdeeds. Another complaint
about the media: Sensational reporting and
showing too much “blood and gore” make criminal
acts seem less unusual.
• Another lawyer expressed his fear of racial bias in
the new citizen judges system. He was afraid, for
example, that if a rich (an often-used word)
company was on trial, a majority of indios on a jury
panel might rule against the company as a sort to
payback. Other lawyers shook their heads in
agreement.
• The massive changeovers of officials that
accompanies major shifts in political party control
contributes to a lack of continuity. One oft-cited
example is a case that had three different
outcomes in three succeeding administrations.

A Project to Help Solve CCP Problems
Obviously, there are problems with the CCP and the
justice system that are beyond the purview of the Partners
of the Americas. But, the Santa Cruz Partners
subcommittee working on the Cuidadanos Trabajando por
la Justicia (CTPJ) project has developed and, subject to
funding, is ready to implement a comprehensive,
integrated communication strategy to teach citizen judges
how to serve in trials and to increase public understanding
of and support for the code of criminal procedures.

A key to the training strategy is using audiovisual
communication to improve the citizen judges’
understanding of their role, of the law, and of their
responsibilities. It explains main elements of the new
statutes and how they are applied.

Many people can’t or won’t take time to learn about the
role of citizen judges, comprehend their importance, and
know how they are to perform their duties if chosen.
Learning more about the system will increase their
willingness to serve. Again, it’s also important in building
the public’s confidence and faith in the code and the
system.

Implementing the communication strategy.
The Santa Cruz Partners CTPJ group proposes to
produce a series of brief, but informative, (1- to 5-minute)
video tapes for use in mass media--radio, TV, press,
monitoring, and short multimedia presentations. It
proposes to use the tapes for mass teaching in the
neighborhoods and small towns. Preparation of training
materials is carried out by members of the project staff,
comprising lawyers, psychologists, communications
experts, and teachers.

For citizen judges, the video tapes will be used to
intensively train them once they have been chosen and
before they assume their roles as members of a judging
panel. Following are highlights of subjects and activities to
be covered.
• The penal code, with basic elements of rights, law,
and justice are explained.
• They are taught the general outlines of penal
procedure and which aspects the citizen judges
will use to issue their verdict.
• They are taught what powers citizen judges have.
• They learn the general technical terms they need
to understand.
• The tapes will explain how to weigh testimony.
• Formalities of the procedure in filing a complaint
after a crime is committed and how to substantiate
the investigation of a criminal act are covered.
• The citizen judges are taught that they have the
same rights as the technical judges so they will be
able to act in a self-assured and adequate
manner.

Using focus groups to diagnose problems and solutions
A basic step in attacking the problem of the hesitation of
people to serve as citizen judges is quantifying the depth
and seriousness of the problems, and defining approaches
to resolving them. The Santa Cruz Partners CTPJ group is
conducting a series of focus groups; eight in Santa Cruz,
six in Beni, and six in Pando.

The Partners CTPJ subcommittee member heading this
work is experienced in conducting focus groups. In a
meeting reviewing important points in holding successful
focus groups, several points were emphasized.

Participants in the groups represent a cross-section of the
population by age, gender, occupation, ethnicity, and
similar factors. The search is for information to guide future
activities, not develop group conclusions. The challenge is
to learn from participants, not instill preconceived notions
in them. Also, the moderator ensures that all members of
the group contribute to the discussion and avoids letting
one participant’s opinions dominate. And so on.
Extending use of the training materials.

The Santa Cruz Partners CTPJ group proposes to extend
the use of the training materials by showing them in the
neighborhoods and in smaller towns.  They will accomplish this task by acquiring and equipping a self-contained mobile unit that they can use in reaching and addressing large and small groups of people in different settings. The mobile unit will have multidisciplinary educational uses beyond, but related to, the citizen judges/justice program. It can be used to carry messages about family violence, medicine and health, sexual health and reproduction, security, democracy,
ecology, agriculture, and arts and culture. Similar mobile
units have been used successfully by other volunteer,
NGO, and commercial groups for education.

The vehicle will be a previously owned extended panel
truck or van, with capacity to hold equipment and the
people needed for the training. It will house an internal
power unit, modern audio communication equipment,
projection screens for use in a variety of settings,
projection units, different cameras for different uses,
microphones, pedestals, monitors, radio transmitters and
receivers, and color television. Also included will be
equipment for providing music and other means of
attracting and holding audiences. Total cost is estimated
at a modest $US 22,000.

Installing information centers in cities
Supporting and complementing the above initiatives, the
Santa Cruz Partners CTPJ group plans to set up wellplanned, inviting information centers in appropriate city
locations where well-trained advisors will answer questions
about the CCP and the legal system in general. The
Partners group will train knowledgeable and willing law
students to answer questions in the centers.

Capacity to implement the integrated strategy.
This ambitious series of projects, implies and requires the
involvement of a wide range of Partners professionals.
Leaders of the Santa Cruz Partners CTPJ group have
shown their commitment by carefully planning and
developing the proposed projects in detail. Arkansas
Partners are supportive in lending expertise in important
aspects and exchanging professionals in needed areas.

Examples of cooperation: An Arkansas communicator
experienced in managing major education and media
projects recently went to Santa Cruz to consult with
leaders there. The professional who will head production
of the videotapes is coming to Arkansas in November 2003
to meet with experts in production and marketing/outreach
of educational initiatives. Because of his intense
commitment and leadership, a visit to Arkansas by Jose
Pasten might bring great benefits to the projects.

PRESIDENT - Susan Heily
VICE PRESIDENT - Steven Neuse
REGIONAL VP CENTRAL AR - Carol Corning
REGIONAL VP NORTHWEST AR - Margaret Clark
SECRETARY - Louise Montgomery
TREASURER - Wayne Swegle
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE - Diane Worthen
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE - Ed Hawkins

In addition, the President has appointed two new
committee chairs - 
Fran Free for Women and Families,and 
Kristine Hall for Health and Wellness.

President Taylor also noted those retiring from the Board
and thanked them for their service. They included
Carolyn Hester, who was the Regional Vice President for
Central Arkansas; 
Nadine Spears, Secretary; 
Phil Serafini, Past President; and 
Laurin Wheeler, Director-at-Large.

Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz group in Bolivia held elections recently
and we have these results:
PRESIDENT - Hermes Justiniano
VICE PRESIDENT - Jorge Ibarnegaray
SECRETARY - Harold Isevich
TREASURER - Elvira Chavez
INTERINSTITUTIONAL COORDINATOR -
Juan Antonio Pereira
BOARD MEMBER - Carolina Schneider

Our new Officers in Arkansas take office January 1, 2004,
but as far as we know, the new Officers in Santa Cruz took
office immediately upon their election on September 30.
 

James Tillotson Whitehead died in Fayetteville on
August 15 of this year. Jim was a Professor of English, a
poet and a writer. Most notably he was one of the
founders of the creative writing program at the University
of Arkansas, where he taught for 35 years. 

Jim was one of several U of A professors recruited by Myron Brody to represent the University to our Partners in Santa Cruz.  This group included John Duval, Gaston Fernandez, John Harrison, and Allen Herman. Jim was instrumental in searching out Bolivian authors in an attempt to create an anthology of their works. 

In a tribute to Jim, John Duval quoted from one of his poems “Sestina in Celebration of the Voice of Johnny Cash” as follows:

Brazil/US - Dennis Shaw dshaw@partners.net
Caribbean/US - Barbara Block bbloch@partners.net
Central America/US - William Stedman
wstedman@partners.net
Mexico/US - Matt Clausen mclausen@partners.net
South America/US Claudia Calderon ccalderon@partners.net

If you have issues or concerns and do not know who else
to address, you are encouraged to contact your regional
team leader. For us, of course, that would be Claudia
Calderon.
Other names of interest are Program Staff. They include:
Agriculture Peggy Carlson
Citizen Participation Cynthia Smith
Education and Culture William Stedman
International Fellowships Cecilia Otero
Sports Anne Paroulek
Women and Families Mary Beth Hastings

There are other people involved in each of these areas,
but these are the leaders. It may be of interest to some of
you, and as pointed out in President Taylor’s letter above,
we no longer have a Farmer to Farmer component in our
Agriculture program. The FTF program was put out for
bids this year and we lost South America to Winrock
International, although we maintained the Caribbean area.
Hopefully, we will be able to add more about the future of
FTF and our work in agriculture in the next issue.

At present, all mailings under our non-profit status can be
made only from the U.S. Postal Service, Fayetteville.

Bill Millager has kindly provided us with another profile
of a Bolivian student at the University of Arkansas.

"As for my return to Fayetteville, I will be up there again on Jan. 12, 2004 :)"
Family Background
I am the oldest of three sisters; and eight women live in
my house... (and no, we don't consider ourselves
feminists, he-he-he-he :)) They are my *amazing* mother
who is also an industrial engineer and graduated from the
U of A), my two sisters (who I couldn't live without), my two
nanas (maids that have been working for us since I was
born . . . over two decades ago!!) and one of their
daughters. :)

My mother is half German, half Czech, but was born in
Bolivia. My father is 100% Bolivian. Honestly, my family is
the most important thing in my life, I would be nothing if I
didn't have the support of "my 7 women" :)

Early Education
I went to the American Cooperative School in La Paz,
Bolivia from Pre-k to grade 12. That's where I learned my
English.

How I Happened to Attend UofA
Oh boy!! Several reasons, but the main ones are:
1. My mother is an alumna and I went with her to Arkansas
in 1996 to the international alumni meeting and fell in love
with Fayetteville.
2. I have family there (actually, not "real" family, but they
have become as close as real family over the years... they
are my mother's "host parents" from when she attended U
of A.
3. Bolivian scholarship!
4. Great engineering program.
5. Needless to say, it was just meant to be :)

Experiences at UofA - studies, life in Fayetteville,
extracurricular, awards...
Amazing!!! Although the first semester was very hard... (I
had to get used to the fact that the sun set at 5:30 p.m....
I hate that!! I also had to get used to the snow... I had
never seen snow actually fall before and I had never been
so far away from home for such a long time) I love what i
am experiencing at the U of A so far!!

Undoubtedly, I know these will be some of the best years
of my life. Studies are doing fine, it's getting more and
more interesting the "higher" and deeper I go into my
degree.

Extracurricular activities are cool, too. I belong to several
organizations, but I am most active in the
1. International Culture Team (ICT)
2. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS)
3. Society of Women in Engineering (SWE)
4. Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
5. Golden Key (theoretically when I get back to the states,
as it is a junior and senior society)

I don’t remember exactly what awards I have received so far...
but I have a few:
1. Arkansas Traveler Award (ICT)
2. Engineering Dean's List
3. Bradley Scholarship
4. AAUW Scholarship
5. Butler Scholarship to study abroad
These may not all be the exact names... but it's a pretty
good idea.

How I learned about Canterbury and how I decided to
attend.........
My best friend intended on studying abroad in New
Zealand and talked about it a lot. I became very interested
in what she had to say and started to do some research as
well... And what do you know, I fell in love with the idea of
being able to go to "uni" (that’s how kiwis say university
here) in a place that was located in between sea and
mountains!! :)

New Zealand Culture, Politics, National/local
Characteristics
Kiwis are very introverted at first, but once you get to
know them, they are the most amazing and friendliest
people on earth!!! it's a very family-oriented society and it
is obvious kiwis love nature. There are many artists here
(it's hard not to be inspired!!) and it's a fantasticenvironment! Wonderful landscapes and simply.... an
amazinggggggg country!!

Photos of Canterbury and New Zealand
From the Canterbury website:  http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/theuni/theuni.htm
 About Canterbury - Very good website: gives links to some great photos of Christ Church, etc. 
Note info for international students!

Here is a photo of my flatmates: very international! (I’m
the one in the middle!) Click for larger image.

left to right: Gaurav - india; Robert - China;  Vivian - Bolivia; Javier - Peru; Virginie - France; Nixon - Solomon Islands.

Further Educational Plans
Definitely getting a masters degree, either in Business
Administration or Engineering Management.
Plans for future, e.g. career, travel, family .........
Before coming to NZ, I thought I had some idea... but
being here has made me change my plans completely!!
Right now, I am not 100% sure, but I know that after uni I
want to travel some, work a little, get my masters... get
settled (hopefully back in Bolivia) and eventually start a
family. :)

Reactions to World Travel
I have been traveling since I was in my mother's womb
(literally)... It is something as necessary as air... not just for
me, but for everyone!! It opens up your mind so much... it's
amazing!!

I have been (not necessarily in this order) to Bolivia,
Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica,
Mexico, USA, several Carribean islands, Spain, England,
France, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Austria, several
Pacific islands, New Zealand... and pretty soon I am off to
Australia. :)

Where did your motto, "Go salsa dancing and eat sushi
often" come from? It's catchy.
Where is your favorite sushi place?
Ah yes!! This is actually my quote :) and it's the two things
I like to do best! My favorite place to eat sushi is in a
restaurant called "New Tokyo" in La Paz, Bolivia because
I used to go there with my family and best friend all the
time :) Plus, they have the best sushi for the best price (in
the whole world!)

Thoughts on Bolivia....
The quote "There is no place like home" didn't really
mean much until I left Bolivia.... that's when I realized...
that really, there is no place like Bolivia. People often ask
me about Bolivia... and before I respond I warn them that
"Once they get me started talking about my country... I
won’t shut up" :) I love it!!! 

The fact that you can go from acity that is over 3600m (12000ft) above sea level (i.e. La Paz) to a city that is almost at sea level (Santa Cruz) in a matter of an hour by airplane.... is simply fascinating! in addition, the constant sunshine, friendliness of people and rich culture make it a remarkable country. I love the fact that Bolivia has such a rich and unique culture as the
indigenous one has blended quite a lot with the white
[European?] culture. Unfortunately, however, Bolivia is
contaminated with corrupt politicians, polluted with
ignorance and inundated with poverty. It's such a
contrast to see such a rich land with such a great amount
of poor people on it... :( I feel a sense of patriotism and
want to go back home once I have my degree. I feel that
at home, I can really make a difference :)

Philosophy of life.....
Live each day as it comes. as simple as it sounds, quite
often this quote is ignored and humans overwhelm
themselves with the future and forget about today.... (me
included) so I constantly repeat this phrase to make sure
that I am living each day as if it were the first and last. :)

Links Between New Zealand and Bolivia - e.g., are there
organizations comparable to Partners of the Americas?
No, but I came with the Study Abroad Butler Program that
I found with the help of the study abroad office at the U of
A. I know however, that some of my latin friends that are
here, are here on a full scholarship that is provided from a
New Zealand organization to latin people... but I don’t
know much more.

Hobbies:
Photography, photography, photography
Dancing, dancing, dancing
Cooking, although I just started learning... but I love it :)

Do you have a favorite recipe yet?
Definitely pastel de carne (family secret); humintas;
saltenas; buenuelos!!
O man... now I am hungry!!

Yes I know them and I love going to their place to eat!! It's
almost like going home :)

Finally, a word about the death of our friend and Partners Board of Directors colleague, Laurin Wheeler. Many of you know, by now, that Laurin died early Sunday morning, November 9, 2003. He had been ill for some time, but like all deaths, we never expected his to happen just when it did. Laurin was one of those guys you immediately bond with - friendly, full of all kinds of interesting information, lively in the breadth of his interests, a true internationalist, a forester by training, and, much more, a botanist of the highest order. 

You’ve probably never heard of the penstemons, or the Penstemon Society, but he was intrigued by this group of plants and interacted regularly with others of like interest, both in this country and abroad.

He and his wife Libby reveled in plants and adorned their
home, both inside and out, with lovely examples of the
plant kingdom. A poignant memory of Laurin and Libby
concerns that small group from our partnership who were
in Bolivia 9/11 (see Editor’s introductory remarks above).

We shared that tragic news in each of our own ways, but
Laurin’s was the calming voice and influence that allowed
us to plumb the deeper perspectives of the times. Laurin
was active in Partners, serving as Regional Vice President, Vice President, and finally, as our President. He was just finishing a term of office on the Board of Directors at the time of his death. 

He was also a member of a small group of “older” Partners who met regularly for breakfast every
Wednesday, both to eat and to swap tall stories and other lies, at Pete’s Place in Fayetteville. He will be greatly missed.