When they tried to own the raindrops, it was enough.

Facing a corporate-led threat to one of the basic building blocks of life-- water-- indigenous and non-indigenous Bolivians in Cochabamba were successful in stopping the privatization of the local water supply- including everything from local wells to falling rain, by a multinational consortium headed by San Francisco's Bechtel Corporation in April of 2000. The privately-owned water would have cost Bolivian families double the average national wage per month.

As if the raindrops didn't matter, French water company Suez followed Bechtel's path to private profits, and communities in El Alto successfully evicted the company in 2005, retaining the right to publicly administer their access to water.

As Bolivians continue to place public good ahead of corporate greed, social movements seek to redistribute ownership of the country's natural gas reserves, the second largest of the continent behind Venezuela. Successive ex-presidents Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and Carlos Mesa each sought to pass new gas laws turning the country's large natural gas reserves over to private interests. However, Bolivians mobilized against high utility prices and rejected the corporate model in favor of public management, taking to the streets and bringing a dramatic, democratic end to both the Lozada and Mesa administrations.

Recapturing the right to make their own decisions about local development, the Bolivian Landless Workers' Movement and others have reclaimed land rights and jobs while indigenous communities have untangled cultural traditions from the complex US drug war, aimed at eliminating coca plantations. The coca farmworkers, or cocaleros, have joined the country's other social movements in demanding a new, more equitable model of development and policy makers are forced to recognize indigenous customs of traditional coca leaf consumption.

Now Bolivians have elected a leader they can finally call their own. Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, is supported by millions of Bolivians who are reclaiming their sovereignty, dignity, and access to the most basic of resources- water, heat, shelter, food, and identity- and in the process have built one of the strongest social movements throughout Latin America, if not the world. Visit with Global Exchange to explore one of the first "water wars" of the 21st century, debunk the corporate-led model of development through privatization of natural resources, and learn from communities who continue to exercise direct democracy for the right to survive.

Program Highlights:

• Learn about multinational corporations' attempts at privatization of natural resources in Bolivia, and the successes and failures of the people in reclaiming access to water, a basic human right
• Meet government and business representatives, social movement leaders, academics, and intellectuals in Cochabamba, La Paz, and Santa Cruz to discuss the historic conflict over water and natural gas
• Visit the lush, green Amazon to discuss the US war on drugs in the region with coca-worker federations (cocaleros); learn about the ancient traditions of coca leaf use by indigenous communities
• Visit a camp of the Landless Workers' Movement to learn about land ownership and conventional agriculture in Bolivia
• In June, celebrate Inti Raymi: the Andean New Year, one of the most vivid festivals of the continent, with youth groups recapturing indigenous Andean heritage
• Extend your stay to explore Bolivia's stunning natural areas and cultural history, and learn how conventional tourism interacts with local communities at Isla del Sol, Tiahuanaku, and Copacabana on Lake Titicaca

Cost: $1400 (from Santa Cruz)

Price Includes:

• Double-room hotel ($200 extra for single room) or guest house accommodations; three meals per day; transportation to and from all programmed activities; guides and translators; a qualified trip leader; all program activities; reading materials; and honoraria to all host speakers, organizations and communities.
• International airfare, airport departure taxes, tips, and personal expenses are NOT included.
• Because the program varies according to the focus of each trip and the special interests of the group, itineraries become available closer to actual date of departure.
• All participants must fly Lloyd Aereo Boliviano or American Airlines from Miami to Santa Cruz, Bolivia arriving in the AM on the day of arrival. Orientation begins that morning. Departures are from La Paz, Bolivia.

How to Register:

This trip will be as diverse as possible in terms of race, age and life experiences. We strongly urge people of color to apply. In some cases, a limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income applicants.

Make your reservation online now!

Contact Michelle with any questions about this trip, or call toll-free 1-800-497-1994 ext. 242.