I want to spend some time getting to know the countries I will be going to during my trip and so I figured I would begin going through these countries, writing down the things i learn for both myself and for you guys out there to read.
I’m going to start with the South American country of Bolivia. Bolivia is a developing country in central South America that has a relatively high level of poverty but is beautiful none the less, with the Andes Mountains to the West. The country is mostly dependent upon manufacturing goods, forestry, fishing, and mining for its economic activities. It has struggled with maintaining a stable government that is not corrupt and the problems with poverty and child labor show it.
Studies claim that there are nearly 1 million children and teenagers work in the country, 50% of which are under the age of 14. The law says that you have to be over 16, but it is not really enforced because the kids generally want and have to work and the government doesn’t try to stop it because they will only continue to work in secret, which is worse than out in the open. They generally get paid 1/4 of what the work they should earn for the work they do. There are so many kids working even alongside their parents in order to provide for their family that they have a significant influence on the economy of Bolivia. They do jobs from cleaning tombstones and placing flowers, selling things in populated areas, to even working in terribly unfit coal mines in order to feed themselves and keep themselves and their families and also to be able to stay in school…
From the ages of even 12 years old… Can you imagine? The life I lived as a 12 year old was the most carefree you could possibly imagine. If I didn’t get dinner made by 6 pm after I had been out playing with friends for a few hours, I would get fussy. These kids are growing up even before they are teenagers. Being paid less than half of what those over the age of 16 make for doing the exact same things. They are taken advantage of beyond belief. Only to survive.
The country is currently even debating to changing the law to make it legal to work after age 6. AGE 6! It is absolutely unfathomable. The thought of a 6 year old being put to work. And this is their solution to the problem of child labor. The idea is that if they lower the legal limit, then the kids will have to be paid fairly instead of taken advantage of. They can’t stop the kids from working, so they figure they can regulate it in order to better the conditions.
How bad of conditions do you have to be to allow kids to work manual labor, dangerous jobs at the age of 6? This is a tragedy that goes unnoticed by the world because they are just not important to the rest of the world. Utter despair is instilled in the kids and families of Bolivia and it is not looking like it will be able to change anytime soon.
I talk about the idea of “true poverty” quite often when it comes to third world countries. I read stories and watch videos of life in Bolivia and I cannot imagine what growing up in an environment like that would be like. I get excited to spend a month in this country because I now have an idea of what life is like there. I will get to live in true poverty with them and be able to share the ONLY good news that may ever be brought to them in their entire lives. Their livelihood may never get better. They may never get to settle down and have a family that they can spend quality time with. They may honestly never be loved by a family, who knows. BUT they can be shown and given the redemptive Love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The only love that will never fail. The only grace that is all consuming. The only true HOPE for the future that they can hold onto with dear life and will never let them down.
I hope to aid the kingdom of God in presenting to a people who have no hope, through my actions of love and compassion and the word of the Lord, the only true hope that exists.
