Ayni Ruway (BOL-62)

Type: Socially Excluded Groups: Minorities - Country: Bolivia

Brief description and main aims

Ayni Ruway’s main mission is to fight for the equality of inmates, former inmates and their families. By providing workshops and skill shares they hope to enhance the quality of life and facilitate integration of incarcerated individuals back into society.

Ayni Ruway goals include offering educational, health and legal services within all Cochabamba prisons and to all former inmates at its community centre. Also to provide workshops on violence prevention, help inmates make an income by providing skill shares and training, offer childcare services for the children of current and former inmates, and help with the marketing and distribution of goods produced by current and former inmates.

The projects are implemented in the four prison facilities of the City of Cochabamba (San Sebastian Women, Men San Sebastian, San Antonio, El Abra) and two sites in the provinces. Ayni Ruway also deals with current and potential buyers of products produced by inmates while in jail. These can be both domestic and international. The focus is on maintaining a constant relationship so that prisoners have a secure source of income.

Main Activities

Ayni Ruway has created a nursery in the female San Sebastian Prison hosting 30 children and another nursery located in the offices of Ayni Ruwaya hosting 40 children. Both nurseries provide comprehensive care for children from 0 to 6 years.

Anyi Ruway is also running a project called "House of teenagers" that welcomes children of teenage inmates and former inmates of penitentiaries in Cochabamba and provides a space where they are offered different workshops.

There is another program directed to the attention of convicts and ex-convicts of 6 prisons in Cochabamba, whose main objective is to meet the mothers and fathers, thus improving quality of life of their children who are directly affected by the situation of families.

Volunteer tasks

• Counselling,
• Social work and family
• Strengthening Educational and support for access to educational services
• Medical Assistance
• Support for access to health services
• Micro-Management Workshops
• Wood Craft Workshops
• Craft Workshops
• Candy and Chocolate Workshops
• Electricity workshops
• Drama workshops
• Music workshops
• Pottery Painting Workshop
• Sewing Workshop

Volunteer requirements / Skills

• Intermediate/advanced Spanish skills
• Experience and/or knowledge in relevant fields (i.e. counseling, marketing, education - valued but not necessary)
• Experience working with at-risk persons (valued but not necessary)
• Willingness to work in a prison environment
• Willingness to share a skill
• Motivation with good interpersonal skills

Location

The projects are implemented in the four prison facilities of the city of Cochabamba (San Sebastian Women, Men San Sebastian, San Antonio, El Abra) and two sites in the provinces.

Hosting Situation (Board and Lodging)

The volunteer will live with a host family.