ICT in Bolivia
Where are we now?
Impact & lessons learned
IICD in Bolivia

Landlocked between Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Argentina, Bolivia is the highest, and in some respects the most isolated country in Latin America. It is also one of the most culturally diverse. 80% of its 8.6 million inhabitants are descended from indigenous Amerindian peoples.

Rich in natural resources such as natural gas, zinc and gold, Bolivia is the world’s largest producer of tin. Yet, despite ample cultural and natural assets, poverty is widespread; 70% of the population struggles to make a living. Bolivia ranks as one of poorest countries in the region.

ICT in Bolivia

The number of fixed line and mobile phone subscribers has increased dramatically over the last 5 years. Growth in the number of people using the Internet was also seen in the period 2000-2005, increasing from around 1.5% to nearly 4%. This is a low figure in comparison to developed countries, but relatively high in terms of the average (8%) seen in the least developed countries in the world. It provides a starting point for the current and future activities in ICT4D. The relatively high adult literacy level in Bolivia (87% in 2005) is encouraging, and provides a basis for the task of further introducing ICTs into the development sectors of the country.

Where are we now?

During 2007, the Country Programme will move into the Shared Dialogue Phase, meaning all activities will become self-sustaining and local partners will determine their own strategic priorities and operation actions.

In the lead up to the Shared Dialogue Phase, we will focus on ensuring the programme is strong and self-sustaining. Working at different levels, this includes:

Institutions

• Strengthening and consolidating networks
• Developing capacity and technological innovation
• Monitoring and evaluation

Sectors, lobbying and national ICT policies

• Participating in (national and sector) ICT for Development policy processes
• Engaging development partners in ICT for Development activities

Learning and sharing experiences

• Strengthening and broadening the exchange of experiences
• Linking Bolivian experiences with other IICD focal countries

Using experience to influencing the future

• Participating in large-scale ICT4D programmes of the government and international development partners

Impact & lessons learned

IICD and its local partners are extending the development impact of TiCBolivia to end-users, particularly the rural poor. But what is the impact so far? How far has it helped to alleviate poverty? And what lessons have been learned in the process?

We look at a variety of factors to assess the impact of the projects, and the lessons learned. In all sectors this includes measuring awareness, empowerment and economic impact. In education an additional two factors are quality of education and socio-cultural impact. For governance projects empowerment is particularly important, and quality of governance is an additional indicator.

The most recent findings can be found at The TICBolivia Country Programme: The impact of IICD support for poverty reduction and development using ICTs, 2000-2004.

IICD in Bolivia

Our work in Bolivia began in 2000. Together with an existing partner, Hivos, a Roundtable Workshop initiated the Bolivia Country Programme at the end of 2000. Today, IICD’s work in Bolivia is carried out together with Cordaid.

When the Bolivia Country Programme was launched the focus was on three sectors: livelihoods (specifically agriculture); governance (specifically good governance); and education.

Addressing Bolivia’s ICT needs

Livelihoods, especially agriculture

We believe that adequate and sustainable ICTs can help to ensure agricultural products are successfully commercialised – and that this will help to improve the situation of many of Bolivia’s poorest people. Three main obstacles stand in the way of agricultural products being successfully commercialised: lack of infrastructure, inefficient post-harvest handling and distribution and a lack of information.

We address the important issue of access to information, and information dissemination. Using ICTs to improve access to information will enhance economic opportunities through increased market access, improved negotiating powers and better production methods.

Education

Bolivia’s state education system offers very little access to ICTs and primary and secondary education within the country is generally poor, despite reforms. Tertiary education is of a higher quality but unreachable for the majority of the population.

Effective and sustainable use of ICTs can improve the quality of education and young people’s access to it in several ways, including:

• Enhancing and updating teaching methods (for example by transforming the curriculum using ICT applications such as videos, CD ROMs and the internet to develop (interactive) educational materials for use in different subjects), and
• Strengthening the institutional capacity of educational authorities, particularly with regard to the government body responsible for education, schools’ administration systems, and teacher training institutes.

Governance

ICTs can make a difference to the government’s ability to address some of the most pressing issues in the governance sector, such as:

• strengthening public sector institutions,
• making the political system more transparent and accountable, and
• ensuring that basic services are delivered effectively and efficiently to the majority of Bolivia’s citizens, particularly vulnerable groups such as indigenous people and women

ICT in projects

Partners in Bolivia are now independently implementing 15 projects in the sectors livelihoods (particularly agriculture), education and governance. These projects are all having an impact on the lives of the people in the country.

Livelihoods (agriculture)

Within livelihoods, the projects are currently improving the market price information system by combing modern and traditional media (like radio). Rural information centres are providing access to information on public investment programmes, and multimedia is being used to document and exchange experiences.

Education

Education projects such as the Global Teenager Project are providing training in basic ICT skills, and multimedia is being used to improve the curriculum in schools.

Governance

Projects in the governance sector are improving access to information, for example by uploading radio programmes onto a website, and creating a network using on-line communications (contact database, website, discussion forum, and newsletter).

A database of information on land rights has been created, and this can now be accessed and updated by various indigenous groups. Alongside this, a network for small indigenous producers (mixture of modern and traditional communication channels) has been created.

Developing Capacity

Although the capacity development programme differs from country to country, 2006 saw two major developments: connectivity and web 2.0. All countries have spent time on finding and experimenting with alternative solutions for connectivity. This includes wireless connections and transmitting data through telephone lines. However, it was in Bolivia that a thorough analysis of alternative solutions for connectivity was first made.

This led to a study in Tanzania, and a comparison with the situation in Ecuador. These in turn resulted in the development of a shared connectivity model, which can be replicated in both Latin America and Africa. The results indicate a need to shift from using telecentres, to setting up community-based networks to solve connectivity problems.

Because the Bolivia Country Programme is in the process of being consolidated, participation in capacity development activities and trainings is decreasing as planned, and activities such as local information exchange, knowledge and skills sharing and participating in policy processes are gaining momentum.

Establishing networks

Establishing independent national ICT for Development networks is a goal of all IICD’s Country Programmes. Their active participation in sharing the lessons learned with partners and the wider ICT for Development community contributes to the sustainability of ICT-enabled projects and programmes. In Bolivia this is achieved through the local TICBolivia network which now operates 90 information access centres and school laboratories providing access to ICTs.

Through these information centres, the TICBolivia programme currently reaches 50,000 direct end users of ICT. Indirectly, 500,000 farmers, indigenous people, teachers and students are benefiting, through a combination of access to rural information centres, radio programmes, websites and printed information materials.

The TiCBolivia network regularly brings local partners and other ICT4D actors together to share knowledge; to participate in ICT policy processes; to respond to demands and problems in capacity development; and to assess the impact of programme through monitoring and evaluation activities.

Participating in policy process

Policy participation started in 2003 with the participation in the formulation of the ICT strategy for the agriculture sector by the Ministry of Agriculture. This strategy is currently in the phase of implementation. The ICT strategy for the education sector was also finalised (in 2005) but due to weak political support has not yet reached the implementation phase. The national ICT strategy was finalised in 2006.

This positive situation reflects the growth stage of the Bolivia Country Programme, which is working towards self-sustaining activities and governance in 2007. Consolidation of the TICBolivia programme is the next step, and will involve persuading key policymakers in government to embed the projects, or at least parts of them, into mainstream sectoral practice, thereby ensuring that their benefits will continue to be felt in the long term.

Bolivia partners

We work closely with a number of local partners to realise TiCBolivia's goals. These partners include non-governmental organisations (NGOs), grassroots organisations and government bodies.

Use the Search on the right to search for partners in Bolivia.