Sucre is the capital of the department of Chuiquisaca, in southern Bolivia. Over the last two decades, important immigration phenomena, which particularly affected indigenous peasants, have resulted in the expansion of the urban periphery, in which the lack of infrastructure and services problems, unemployment or underemployment became serious. In Sucre there are many women, especially migrants, who have low-paid and precarious jobs, such as domestic service. The project WITH WOMEN EYES started in 1999 by initiative of RE.TE, Almaterra and the City of Turin, with the financial support of the European Commission and with the aim to make women  - especially migrants ones - more autonomous from a cultural, economic and production point of view, to enable them to actively participate in the democratic life of their social reality, driven by reconstruction and socialization of women knowledge. The action program in Bolivia has seen:

1. The creation of Multifunctional house in S.Lucas, that became the main training, reference and aggregation place for the population and coordination of all their cultural, technical and democratic initiatives.
2. Agricultural training: on the cultivation in greenhouses. In different rural communities of S.Lucas area 70 greenhouses were built for the production of vegetables, with focus on recovery of traditional knowledge in cultivation.
3. Technical, gender, women's rights, production and marketing of products training courses, with the creation of 30 jobs and quality products that are sold not only in the city of Sucre.
4. The creation of the training center Warmi Nahuigan of Sucre; the center aims primarily to raise awareness and recognize the work rights and to offer professional tools that will increase employment opportunities.
5. The creation of the production center Bartolina Siza and sales store. Inside the center was equipped and renovated a room used for a self-managed creche, in which the women bring their children during the hours in which they produce or participate in training.

The project "Enhancement of women's knowledge as a resource for improving living conditions of the population of Chuquisaca, Bolivia" allowed then the following actions:

a) Sexual and reproductive health seminars with the support of Marie Stopes and CIES in peripheral centers
b) Literacy courses for women through the national literacy program "Yo si puedo".
c) Fight to domestic violence and self-esteem courses with the assistance of the Center Juana Azurduy in legal and psychological training
d) Leadership and conflict resolution training
e) Awareness-raising on education and training workshops
f) Organizational, management and administration strengthening of the loan fund
g) Constitution of a production and marketing network
h) Collaboration agreements and coordination with legal aid organizations for women in need
i) Awareness on legislation regarding domestic workers
j) Development of a plan for innovation of the Bartolina production: line "T'ikas fashion", men line, children line, Native line, fashion line (brides and gala) - 400 new designs during the project.
k) Fashion specialization scholarships in Italy, in the Institute Burgo in Milan
l) Training courses in handicraft textile techniques, traditional applications and hand finishing
m) Training in business management
n) Training courses in weaving, course management and production processes for local associations
o) Interchanges with women's organizations, like ASUR, specialized in the study of traditional fabrics
p) Training workshops in sewing, weaving, design and combination of colors and materials
q) Training workshops and food processing
r) Establishment of telematic sales channels
s) Parades and introductory events in the Italian market
t) Opening of a new store
u) Establishment of a documentation center on traditional medicine
v) Training and intercultural exchanges between medicine and nursing, curanderos and health professionals
x) Kindergarten and school support for the children of members
y) Awareness campaigns on women's diseases, causes of infant mortality, nutrition
w) Opening of a new production and transformation workshop of Alcalá
z) Construction of the new headquarters of KAT-Bartolina.

ACCOMPLISHED RESULTS

• 203 children of female workers less than six years attended regularly in the childhood centers (74% of total), and benefit from early stimulation services and school accompanying. 78% of children have improved hygienic conditions compared to the initial situation.
• 205 women trained on hygiene, sexual and reproductive health
• 134 women trained in cutting and packaging, macramé, machine embroidery, hand embroidery etc.
• 6 Women Art Center Mujer Bartolina formed in high dressmaking.
• 25 Women trained in basic literacy
• Established a network of collaboration with local institutions in management and promotion of feminine training and production
• 10 representatives of partner and production groups involved organized and / or participated in events of commercial promotion of their products
• 205 women improved their organizational and / or managerial skills
• 2 production groups institutionalized and 9 production groups in process of institutionalization
• 1 office of KAT restored and running, able to accommodate the production and association activities
• A production and processing plant of aromatic and medicinal plants up and running, with a quality monitoring system defined and active
• 12 herbal products and essences processed and available in the plant of Alcalá
• Signed a preliminary agreement with local pharmaceutical company of La Paz for the processing and marketing of herbal products

The projects have been realized thanks to funding from the Italian Cooperation and the European Union.