La Lucha

In Bolivia, activists with disabilities risked everything for dignity. When pleas for a pension were ignored, they united in protest - trekking across the Andes in their wheelchairs. An inspiring journey followed, facing off against a government determined to silence them and a society indifferent to their struggle. But through cold, hunger, and vitriol, their resilience proved unstoppable.

Marcelo Vasquez Bracamonte, one of the leaders of the disability rights movement, speaks to his fellow protestors about why they are trekking to La Paz from Cochabamba. The community is fighting for a pension and their rights to education, labor, transportation and more in which they have been left out in Bolivian society.

In Bolivia, the distance between Cochabamba and La Paz is 380 kilometers. The protestors are traveling from the city to the country's capital in their wheelchairs and on foot to fight for the disability rights over the course of 35 days and a high of 4700 meters above sea level. It's just the beginning of their journey...

Feliza Ali Ramos, a leader and protestor of the disability movement in Bolivia, speaks with a journalist about what and why her community is asking the government for a pension. The assistance would have helped Feliza avoid experiences like she talks about and how indignity plays a role in their daily lives.

Disability movement leaders Feliza and Rose Mery talk to the media about why a pension for people with disabilities is achievable in Bolivia. They show, by the numbers, how 500 bolivianos is a reasonable amount of aid per person per month when the Minister of Communications, Marianela Paco, spends an inordinate amount for marketing per day.

In Bolivia, the government has turned its back on their citizens with disabilities...and disparaged the character of the people as unproductive in society. Miguel Mamani Coro, one of the protestors of the disability movement, tells his side of the story - Miguel showed up in Laz Paz with bravery, made his family proud and for the first time, realized his value in life.