Tengo Otros Sueños: Seis historias de vida y luchas de mujeres bolivianas

by Karen Gil, Logan Nonfiction class of Fall 2016 / Plural Editores / August 3, 2018

“Tegno Otros Sueños” follows the lives of six Bolivian women, including a young Indian mother who migrates from the countryside to the city of La Paz seeking employment in a country where decent work is not for everybody; an actress who undresses in independent films in a conservative country; a young woman who, after leaving prison, is looking to reintegrate into a society that is afraid and does not stop stigmatizing; a woman of 80 years who is trained in swimming in a country where older people are less valuable than the dead; and finally, a transgender woman looking for a decent life in a country that not only looks askance but with contempt.

Laws protecting the rights of women have been created in Bolivia in recent years, but the reality is different: 81 percent of women have experienced some form of violence in their lives; around 100 are killed annually. The unemployment rate is higher for women. Teenage and young adult women have fewer educational opportunities. “With all this, women bear the prejudices and inequalities, but nevertheless do not give up, on the contrary, struggle every day to realize their dreams and a better life,” said Gil.