La Paz NGOs are too removed from underprivileged populations they seek to serve. Many of the largest NGOs are located in the richest parts of the city. These are comparable to Little Italy or China Town, just the American version. Obrajes, the popular Suburban-like enclave, is a twenty-minute drive South of the city’s center and an even further commute to the poorest northern sections of the La Paz. Removed to the city’s periphery, these non-profits are not accessible to populations in the sectors in which they claim to service. NGOs can’t possibly be in touch with the hardships of the working class while working out of gated mansions.
Attracting foreign talent requires certain amenities that locals often lack. I once ventured to a local micro-credit agency, only to immediately hop back on the bus, as too many wandering drug addicts uncomfortably bumped into me in the street. Lack of safety of course is a deterrent to luring a competitive workforce. While this micro-credit agency is an outlier example. Unfortunately, NGO concentration in Obrajes is not. There is no excuse for these NGOs not to be accessibly located in the center of the city where commerce unthreateningly thrives. The affluent facilities in the South surpass any expectations of aid workers and non-profit world minds. If I were a donor, I would demand that projects respond quicker to local problems.
Priviledged NGOs
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