An early shower of rain had washed down the last few days of rubbish and pollution off the streets of Sucre, Bolivia, creating a fresh smell in the morning.
Our second annual work fair Camino Al Futuro was about to begin.
Students, professionals, coordinators and their helpers were scrambling around in the main square trying to find their respective area in hopes to get the most visible spot to attain the biggest crowds.
In Bolivia, nothing and no one is ever on time, and despite things being done at the last minute, they do get done and with very little worry.
With this in mind, I had made sure to make a meeting three days before the fair. Striking workers in one sector of the community often precipitates strikes in others, which in turn makes it difficult for those trying to organize a community event.
Furthermore, people's lack of commitment to meetings planned a head of time is another great factor in event planning. Culturally here in Bolivia, time is not of the essence and so when organizing an event one must plan accordingly.
This year, the work fair introduced a new topic: workers' rights and the exploitation. We invited a few lawyers to explain people's rights at work, which also gave a chance to everyone that came through the fair to explain their story, and in exchange, they were able to receive free advice.
In a country where many people's rights are denied or ignored, especially underprivileged youth, slavery is quite common, and so it is important that the public is continually informed and reminded of their rights as workers as a step towards empowering them against discrimination and mistreatment.
As part of the demonstration, theatre skits were played out in front of the public as well as bartenders displayed their tricks by flipping bottles from one side to the other.
Hairdressers and manicurists showed their styling talents as tango, hip hop and ballet dancers laid out their dance moves in the center of the work fair, all with the objective to educate the public in what their profession entailed and steps are needed to be a part of that workforce.
With its second annual work fair, Camino Al Futuro was successful in reaching a large number of people, growing the number of their own volunteers and working to teach, empower and support workers in their struggle to make their daily reality a little more bearable.
If you would like some information regarding our projects, please contact Jessica Butler [email protected].
You can also donate with Paypal either on our Facebook fan page which is called Fundacion Bolsa de Empleo Guia or atwww.guiafoundation.org.?
