Gregoria Apaza

This week we had the opportunity to visit the nonprofit organization, Gregoria Apaza, in El Alto. Before our afternoon visit, the founder of this organization came and spoke to our class. Although I know very minimum Spanish, she presented a slide show, which was very interesting discussing the history of female involvement in Bolivian legislation. I was excited to visit her organization in El Alto as from what we were told, it was providing amazing opportunities for the female communities of El Alto and La Paz. As we made our close to an hour taxi ride to the city of El Alto, I was growing quite anxious about the upcoming experience at Gregoria Apaza. 

While some of my classmates love El Alto, for me, based on its outer appearance; it's truly a difficult city to spend time in as it largely represents the immense poverty within this area of Bolivia. Each time I travel up the mountain to El Alto and into the city, I honestly have no idea what I'm about to witness from the backseat of the taxi. With that being said, I guess it's only natural that I was having anxiety about our visit at Gregoria Apaza. Even though I was hesitant, the visit to Gregoria Apaza ending up being one of the greatest and most influential experiences of my time in La Paz. 

Upon arrival at Gregoria Apaza, we were greeted with smiling faces, who were beyond excited to tell us about the wonderful things happening within this five flight industrial building. What was so inspiring about this nonprofit was that they were empowering women within a community historically dominated by men, to create a better future through the gift of education- not only for themselves but their children. During our visit, we had the opportunity to visit three classes where women were sewing beautifully detailed clothing and baking delectable pastries. They were proud of their creations, as they absolutely should be. 

Obviously once we left I couldn't help but further think about this organization as a safe haven for women and their children, as many of their services help women not only politically and economically, but with the seriously neglected issue of domestic violence. The director of Gregoria Apaza told us that within the country on Bolivia there's only eight locations for women who are victims of domestic violence, one of which was Gregoria Apaza. During my time in Bolivia I have come to believe that President Morales doesn't really exemplify a proper respect for women. Learning about some of the scandals that have taken place during his presidency with extremely young women (or girls, as some would argue), could easily provide the argument that his public lack of respect for women within Bolivia has provided an example for the men in this country on what is considered the "acceptable" way to treat women. I can only imagine the difficulty Erika Brockmann faced when founding this organization, but with hardships comes blessings. Gregoria Apaza is truly a blessing for El Alto and La Paz, providing an environment of support and empowerment- ensuring a better future for the female community that's been neglected for so many years.