Enjoying Bolivia 187and partly merged, one mainly of rural migrants from the
Altiplano (north), who practiced artisan and commercial
trades, another with larger commercial interests, including
public services (centre) and the other based primarily on
light industry (south) with signifi cant numbers of migrants
from other regions of Bolivia.
The foundation for FEJUVE’s activism was set out in 1959
when locals began to demand the installation of basic services,
and when unanswered, would take matters into their own
hands, with electricity and water and other services connected
by neighbourhood volunteers. These ad hoc neighbourhood
organisations merged into FEJUVE in 1966.
In later years, FEJUVE began to participate with the COR
(Central Obrera Regional or ‘Regional Workers Central’) and
with national mobilisations such as the 1985 March for Life
led by miners.
You wouldn’t know it by observing meetings during
crisis time but FEJUVE does have an executive committee
which incorporates local neighbourhood committees. The
crucial link between leadership and neighbourhoods are
weekly or monthly assemblies, and it appears as if the
executive committee primarily carries out the will of the
neighbourhoods. In theory, members should not carry the
agenda of political parties and women should have an equal
role in decision making, but some critics from within allege
that both of these rules are not strictly adhered to.
Visually, El Alto would need major renewal to match the
conditions of a war torn Bosnian city. A silent war of survival
is raging in El Alto, including myriad heroic acts that do not
meet the eye, with various NGOs attending to some of the
needs of the mentally and physically impaired, the destitute
and unemployed youth.
El Alto’s altitude, its highland frost and its shaky or
nonexistent infrastructure are serious liabilities. Its petty
crime rate is juiced up by heavy drinking. But as the epicentre
of social change, El Alto is now a source of hope and many
down-and-outers have been able to compensate for their
grinding poverty by engaging in the good fi ght.