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A Traditional Peasant Organization Engaged in Social Monitoring in the Municipality of Totora (in Voice, Eyes and Ears Social Accountability in Latin America)

This essay forms a part of a World Bank report:  “Voice, Eyes and Ears: Social Accountability in Latin America”.  It begins at p.99.

Since 2001, 3600 peasant families from the municipality of Totora-traditionally organized into 83 rural unions comprising 13 subcentrals and the Agrarian Central of Moyapampa (CAM), have delegated a representative to receive three days of training per month on social monitoring of local government (the Mayor’s office). The mayor’s office currently receives funds from taxpayer contributions [coparticipacion popular], HIPC, the National Treasury [Tesoro General de la Nacion (TGN)] and the Productive and Social Investment Fund [Fondo de Inversion Productiva y Social (FPS)]. The peasant delegate has been given the title of trainer and in four 6-hour sessions a month provides culturally and linguistically appropriate training to men and women from each community. This has made it possible to overcome the rhetorical, standardized approach of training only a few peasant leaders using a strongly theoretical approach, while failing to achieve the full exercise and practice of verification and oversight of funds managed for specific periods by an administrative unit, in this case the municipal government and the mayor.

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Uploaded on: Dec 16, 2015
Last Updated: Dec 17, 2015
Year Published: 2003


Resource Tags

Resource Type: Impact Evidence Issues: Citizenship & Identification, Ethnic / Religious Minorities' Rights, Livelihoods Tool Type: Reports / Research, Training Resources & Popular Education Method: Promoting Citizens' Participation in Governance Languages: English Regions: South America Nature of Impact: Citizen Action & Participation, Legal Knowledge and Skills Scale of Intervention/Impact: 10,000 to 100,000 people Institutions Engaged: Local legislative representative, Police, President / Cabinet Evaluation Method: Case Studies