Achachilas
Project
Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. It lags behind the others in several important metrics. Most of these struggles see their worst embodiment in rural villages.
Education
Education in Bolivia sees both urban/rural and gender based disparities. Only 40% of rural children remain in school beyond the third grade. Just 20% start secondary school, with a frightening rate of 5% continuing beyond that. Girls suffer the highest dropout rate in both rural and urban communities.
Maternal and Infant Mortality
There is limited access to formal healthcare in poor and rural communities in Bolivia. Poverty and a lack of investment in the countryside have long been a burden to the residents of these regions. For every 1,000 live births, there are 23 maternal deaths and 53 children fail to see their fifth birthday. Gender based violence is also all too common.
Food Insecurity
More than 50% of Bolivia's population lives in rural areas where people rely on small-scale agriculture and have little access to other food sources. When crop yields are low, families go hungry. One third of Bolivians in rural areas cannot afford a basic food basket and 16% of children under the age of 5 are chronically malnourished.
The Cordillera Real
The Cordillera Real mountains north of La Paz contain ten of Bolivia’s fifteen 6,000 meter peaks. These mountains have long been considered prohibitively difficult to access by many alpinists. But Bolivia’s Aymara people have called the land surrounding these mountains their home for at least 800 years, and they can take us there. We will partner with the villages at the feet of these mountains to bring desperately needed resources to the people in the region and long sought access to international climbers.
The Real Bolivia
When climbers dream of Bolivia, they picture wide open landscapes and the famous 6,000m peaks, but there are seldom visited valleys and mountains few humans have ever set foot on that are waiting for the adventurous at heart. Access to these wild spaces can be gained today by working with the traditional stewards of these lands.
The church in Peñas
The church in Peñas is a 450 year-old Spanish colonial-era institution. Padre Antonio Lavatarelli, himself a talented mountaineer, has led the church for 15 years. He has worked tirelessly to earn the trust of the residents of the region and partnered with Marco Antonio Abastoflor of the Bolivian Catholic University to bring a satellite campus to Peñas. Together, the church and the university have begun training young members of the indigenous Aymara communities in alpine guiding and adventure tourism. The first graduates of this program have come together to form La Cordillera Experience. We are working with these partner organizations to expand similar economic opportunities to a much broader segment of the regional population.
Life here is hard. The climate is harsh and traditional agriculture and herding are far from lucrative. Mountain tourism can provide a lifeline to communities on the edge.
Achachilas Project Phase 1 - Chearoco and Chachacomani
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Chearaco 6,127m
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Chachacomani 6,074m
Alto Cruz Pampa
The remote village of Alto Cruz Pampa is the gateway to the beautiful 6,000m peaks of Chearoco and Chachacomani. Matthew C Johnson and Ana Caballero-Mengibar of the Sustainable Ascents Foundation recently (July 2024) successfully negotiated a plan with the leadership of the village for the construction of a mountain refuge in the upper valley just below the peaks. This refuge will be maintained and operated by the residents of the village, with a newly created elected position taking charge of this work. All proceeds from the refuge will go toward the refurbishment of the village school and improving access for trade in goods between the village and the surrounding area. Oversight will be provided by the Peñas campus of the Bolivian Catholic University under the direction of Iveth Guzman.
Achachilas Project Phase 2 - Kasiri
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Kasiri 1 5,828m
As seen from the South Ridge of Kasiri 2
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Kasiri 2 and 3
Viewed from the southwest
The Secret Valleys
There are several valleys supplying the headwaters of Rio Corhuar Jahuira that have seen few foreigners and even fewer climbers. These valleys contain beautiful alpine lakes on whose shores we can construct additional refuges.
Laguna Carizal lies just below the 5,045m pass between Calzada and Kasiri 2 and 3. A refuge here could benefit the villages of Cohuani and Corpaputo as well as the struggling clandestine mining community on the eastern side of the pass. In July 2024 Matthew C Johnson of the Sustainable Ascents Foundation and Daniele Assolari of La Cordillera Experience climbed and explored the south face of Kasiri 2 and its approach routes (likely one of the first climbs of this peak). This exploration revealed several suitable campsites and climbing routes.
Just to the north of this pass lies a spur valley containing Laguna San Francisco and the most direct approach to Kasiri 1. A refuge here could benefit the residents of Umapusa and Villa Imperial.