First of all, a reminder of who I’m working for and a little more about what they do:
I work for an NGO in Cochabamba called Ayni Ruway (that’s Quechua and basically means an exchange of skills or abilities). Ayni Ruway’s work is focused on helping the incarcerated population of Cochabamba and on youth prevention. In their office building, they hold workshops with at-risk children on painting, wood-working, cooking, sewing/fashion design, computers, theater, and music. In addition, they help fund and run the different workshops and/or microenterprises within the prisons such as wood-working and metal-working shops, bakeries, laundry services, and others. They have a psychologist, lawyer, social worker, and health professional on staff that meet with prisoners several times a week. They also teach computer, music, and other workshops in the prisons regularly and organize special fairs or festivals on occasion.
What I have been doing:
I started the summer helping to conduct workshops in the prisons on microenterprise management. These workshops were intended to give the prisoners some foundational knowledge to help them in their current microenterprises and in whatever they undertake once they leave the prison.
During these meetings, the prisoners expressed that one of the greatest challenges for them is the marketing and promotion of their products since they really have no opportunity to interact with their clientele. After brainstorming about this, my supervisor and I decided to come up with a coordinated marketing plan, and this has been the focus of the second part of my project.
Over the last month or so I have been working to rehab and promote a store that is attached to the women’s prison and is supposed to hold artisan products made in all the prisons. When I came to Cochabamba, the store was nearly empty, had very few customers, and even fewer sales. With the help of a grant from Sustainable Bolivia, a donation from Partners of the Americas, part of my IPSP stipend from the Clinton School, and a lot of work by the staff and volunteers of Ayni Ruway, we have been able to do a lot to improve the store. Below is a list of some of the things we’re doing/have done:
Painting a mural on the outside of the store to attract customers/make the store more attractive (pictures to come)
- Painting slogans on the interior that promote the message/theme of the store – that buying these products means helping the prisoners.
- Commissioned the prisoners to make hanging racks for the clothes they make and sell
- Bought shelves, etc to better organize the interior
- Designed and professionally printed banners, flyers, and businesses cards to distribute around Cochabamba to promote the store
- Worked with the two prisoners who run the store to put in some internal processes of recording sales, organizing a continuous flow of products from the other prisons, distributing profits to the producers, observing sales trends, etc.
- Planned and promoted a grand re-opening of the store
So far things are improving, and the store is beginning to look more and more like a business instead of a haphazard warehouse.
What I am going to do:
My project was supposed to culminate in a grand re-inauguration of the store this coming Wednesday, July 29th. We had plans to invite local authorities, the press, and the general public to the event. If I’ve learned anything from working with an NGO in Bolivia, it is that there are always hurdles, usually more than one. My main concern was the warden of the women’s prison who always manages to make our work as difficult as possible. She complained to me about something nearly every day this week (including that the mural was too “happy”), but has managed not to cause any major setbacks. In fact, yesterday (Friday), we were well on track to get everything ready for the opening.
Then, at about 3:00 Friday afternoon I got a call from the office saying that Ayni Ruway was basically going on strike. For several months now the new staff of the Regimen (the people that manage/regulate all the prisons in Cochabamba) have been making it very hard for Ayni Ruway to do its work in the prisons. Finally, yesterday, Ayni Ruway decided that if they can’t have a good working relationship with the Regimen – and if the Regimen is going to continue to make things difficult for them – then they are going to stop working in the prisons. They are scheduled to meet with the Regimen Tuesday morning to resolve the issue, hoping that their ultimatum and pressure from the prisoners will force the Regimen to make amends.
But until then, no prison work. Basically, finishing my project means becoming a scab. We are having a staff meeting Monday morning, so I will learn more then. It is still possible that I can finish and have the opening Wednesday, but we’ll see come Monday.
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Whatever happens I will be happy with the work I’ve done. We’ve laid a solid foundation, and with a little more work the first stage of rehabbing the store will be completed. Hopefully things will grow from there, and the store will become a thriving business and source of income for the prisoners.
I’ll give my final project update sometime next week, but until then, keep your fingers crossed.
![FINAL POSTER[1]](http://bolivinitup.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/final-poster1.jpg?w=190&h=300 "FINAL POSTER[1]")
![FINAL CARD GENERAL[1]](http://bolivinitup.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/final-card-general1.jpg?w=300&h=231 "FINAL CARD GENERAL[1]")
