Climate:
The climate of Playa Ancha is one of its best features. The
area lies just below Cochabamba (in altitude) in one of the
most fertile areas of Bolivia. Temperatures generally range
between 65° and 75°.
Work:
Diary production brings in the largest profit in this area. Most
residents are involved in some way or other with the local dairy
which sells its produce to one of the largest milk venders in
the country. Second to dairy production is farming. A number of
families operate subsistence farms. This generally includes a
small garden area and a few chickens, pigs, or various other livestock.
Rivaling milk production is chicha production, the local home
brewed beer. This is taken to the city to sell by individual venders.
Food:
Corn, onion, carrots, and potatoes are the
most common products grown and eaten.
Animals:
Holstein cows are in abundance in this area as well as pigs, chickens,
and a few sheep.
Housing:
Houses have a much wider variety in Playa Ancha than FHIs other
communities due to the larger amount of wealth of the area. An
average home in the area would have three rooms. While adobe bricks
made of mud and straw are used in the homes, drywall is also used
to provide more protection against vinchugas.
Water
systems: Charramoco
is the only community totally without a water system. The residents
of this community have to buy their water from venders that come
through the community. In the small community of Playa Ancha only
half the residents have regular access to water in their homes.
In both these communities the nearest water source is very far.
Each of the other communities has a water system in place.
Sewage:
About 40% of the population have some form of outhouse on their
property. The other 60% uses the great outdoors.
Electricity:
90% of the residents have electricity. Those who don't are unable
to afford the monthly costs.
Churches:
The communities of Charamoco and Calicanto have evangelical churches.
Every community has a Catholic church (however, priests are in
short supply so these are often not used). The communities of
Playa Ancha and Poquera have only three Christian families each.
Approximately 25% of the total population is Christian. Most of
the population have synchronistic religious practices mixing worship
of the Panchamama, (Mother Earth) with worship of various virgins.
FHI
works within the church by conducting training seminars for
the congregations with special training for the leaders. They
also participate in the services.
Schools:
Four of the communities have schools. The
other two communities send their children to the closest school.
For these children there is a 1 to 1½ hour walk. In order
for children to continue schooling past 8th grade, they must travel
to Capinota by bus, which averages around an hour one way.
All
schools of the area have a serious lack of materials. There
are now libraries at each school set up by FHI but text books
and other classroom materials are hard to come by. FHI has a
school materials program which provides a set of materials (including
notebook, pens, ruler, folders, etc.) to each child at a very
minimal cost.
Health:
Diarrhea, malnutrition, the common cold,
influenza, and Chagas disease are the main health concerns of
the area.
Major
problems in the area:
As of January, 2002 the company that has been buying milk
in the area has decided it will not continue using Playa Ancha
as a vender. This will have an enormous impact on the economic
level of the area. Many people will lose their income source.
The outcome of this is yet to be decided.
Farmers
in the area currently have poor land usage techniques. Farmers
will plant and harvest as many as four crops a year which leaves
the soil depleted of its resources. Many of these crops will
also be the same type of produce which continues pulling the
same nutrients out of the soil. Due to the large number of insects
in the area, farmers have to use insecticides. These are used
with each crop leaving a large amount of insecticide in the
soil. As of yet there is no form of fertilization being used.
All of these are together creating a pressing problem for the
near future.
Chicha
is very common in these areas. The white flags that signify
a chicha vender dot the roadsides. Alcoholism is a major problem.
Best
aspects of the area: There
is vision for the future in these areas. Parents want their children
to have improved lives. They are more ready to accept means to
improvement of current practices and are more economically and
mentally prepared to make these changes.
Leaders
of the area are responsible and reliable and are looking out
for the good of their community.
A
child from Playa Ancha is much more likely to continue their
education than a child from any of the other zones.
