More than 60 percent of Bolivian families suffer from inadequate housing conditions. Improving their living situation is made more difficult when they don’t have the legal right to the land where they live. Low-income, single mothers are often forced to purchase informal land that, without legal tenure, doesn’t give them access to basic services such as water, sanitation and protection from eviction.
Habitat Bolivia, together with strategic partners such as Women’s Leadership Network, UK-AID, the Swedish Cooperative Center and others, is working to make sure local reform efforts succeed. At the cornerstone School of Women Leaders, participants learn about the technical and legal aspects of secure tenure, learn to use GPS for land mapping, and develop conflict-resolution skills that make land-use standards more effective.
The women’s increased community participation is a big step toward eliminating the barriers that keep them from securing land tenure, safe housing and basic home services.
