September 30, 2007
ACDI/VOCA Hosts Department of State Delegation in Bolivia
On September 30, 2007, ACDI/VOCA, together with other organizations implementing USAID/Bolivia projects, hosted a Department of State and USAID delegation reviewing joint U.S. government and Bolivian projects that are strengthening the licit economy in coca-producing regions of Bolivia.
A highlight of the visit was an Integrated Alternative Development (IAD) minifair held in the special events area of the $500,000 bus terminal complex constructed in 2005-06 by ACDI/VOCA, at which the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Christopher McMullen and Director of the State Department’s Bureau for Andean Affairs Arnold Chacon viewed a variety of local agricultural products supported by IAD and heard testimonials from community beneficiaries regarding the USAID-supported activities.
U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia Philip Goldberg and USAID/Bolivia Mission Director Michael Yates welcomed McMullen and Chacon to Coroico, a small rural community located in the heart of the traditional coca-producing area north of La Paz. Coroico and the surrounding Yungas region have been the focus of ACDI/VOCA’s IAD activities since 2001, first through the $20 million Yungas Community Alternative Development Fund (YCADF) and subsequently through the $32 million Integrated Community Development Fund (ICDF). In addition to the bus terminal, ACDI/VOCA has implemented over 350 community and economic development projects in the region, including the construction of health, education, transportation and agriculture infrastructure, including scores of village potable water systems, the implementation of agro-forestry, microenterprise and small livestock initiatives, the development of civil society and the strengthening of local institutions. Over 25,000 families in more than 250 communities have benefited from ACDI/VOCA's assistance in the region.
USAID/Bolivia IAD programs such as the ICDF in Bolivia help impel and strengthen the licit economy in coca-growing and associated areas by increasing the market-driven competitiveness of rural enterprises. These programs also foster more effective, transparent and responsive democratic institutions and processes and improve basic public services and social conditions. The IAD program has contributed to the development and sustainability of a sound licit economy in the Tropics of Cochabamba and Yungas region near with a focus on improving family income and living conditions. ACDI/VOCA has been a flagship USAID/Bolivia partner in IAD programs since 2001 and has implemented development programs throughout the country for more than 35 years.
Photograph at left shows U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia Philip Goldberg welcoming Arnold Chacon (left) and Christopher McMullen (seated to the right of Chacon).