La Libre and the NGO Via Don Bosco are taking a reader to Bolivia: do you want to be the lucky one? Here’s how to do it

“As an NGO, Via Don Bosco needs external support to be able to finance its various projects carried out in Latin America, Africa and Belgium,” says Eric Henrotte, communications and fundraising coordinator at Via Don Bosco. “One of the sources of funding is the donations we receive from individuals. To the extent that we seek the trust and financial support of these people, we believe that this gives us a responsibility towards them. In terms of information but also in terms of how we use these funds. We thought that rather than communicating ex cathedra, it would be a good idea to take people into the field and give them the opportunity to see the work of our partner schools, in order to ask questions with a fresh perspective.”The NGO Via Don Bosco works with young people aged 15 to 25 in Bolivia. ©Via Don Bosco

“We need to be shaken up”

Indeed, the idea is not to be a passive spectator on site. On the contrary, the reader will be called upon: “We expect people to be participative, energetic, dynamic… And above all, to ask a lot of questions: why this? why not that? To shake us up a little, in fact! That’s how we grow! Beyond the desire for transparency, the idea is to take a moment with these ambassadors after the trip to get feedback on what they have seen and heard, so as to see to what extent we can integrate this into our reflections and the development of future programs, specifies Eric Henrotte. Having people who are not familiar with the humanitarian or education sector can lead to new reflections.”VIA Don Bosco: Education changes the worldTo be the chosen reader, you do not need to be an “expert”, nor even have any specific training (nor, either, be a donor of Via Don Bosco). However, you must be at least 18 years old and in good health. The trip will in fact last about ten days and will crisscross the country, normally including in the mountains (at an altitude that will however not require getting used to). In these urban environments (Santa Cruz, Yapacani…) or rural (normally in Kami, the route is still only indicative), we will go to meet teachers and students from various partner schools of Via Don Bosco.The NGO Via Don Bosco focuses on technical and professional education. ©Via Don Bosco

Five thousand students in eight schools

“We have eight schools that we work with in Bolivia, or some 5,500 young people in total. Our DNA is education. Many studies show that young people’s access to education is a tremendously powerful lever for making progress on a whole series of issues: eradicating poverty, achieving equality, particularly gender equality, etc.,” lists Eric Henrotte. “We are focusing on technical and professional education because it allows young people who live in difficult conditions to acquire a minimum level of knowledge, and this fairly quickly and with limited resources. The young person can then either start working life or bounce back and pursue more traditional training. We work specifically with this type of school because our target audience is young people who live in rather difficult and precarious conditions. An audience that is not the most visible…” On site, the reader will be accompanied by representatives of Via Don Bosco, a journalist from La Libre, as well as a reader chosen from the Dutch-speaking. All logistics will be handled by the NGO. Interpreters will even be provided. Submission of applications until July 7 and practical details via https://lalibre.viadonbosco.org/.