Category: Street

We amplify the voices of children and adolescents and strengthen their representation at the national level

We amplify the voices of children and adolescents and strengthen their representation at the national level At the ALALAY Foundation, we experienced three deeply meaningful days for the participation of children and adolescents in Bolivia. On February 24, we participated in the Sectoral Roundtable on Children and Adolescents, organized by the Ministry of Development Planning, as part of the development of the PDES 2026–2030 and the PGDES 2026–2035. For us, this was a pivotal moment: we supported children and adolescents so that their experiences, proposals, and demands could be incorporated into the country’s development planning. We are filled with pride by the participation of María and Adriano, representatives of our Street Program, who took on this role with commitment and responsibility. Their proposals addressed urgent issues such as child labor, homelessness, and the need for more inclusive public policies. Through their voices, many other children and adolescents were able to be heard. Listen to their testimonies at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1buKvcUi7T/ On February 25 and 26, the Plurinational Children and Adolescents Committee held a meeting that brought together representatives from the country’s nine departments. As ALALAY, we supported the organization of the event and led the support efforts for the Outgoing Committee (2023–2025), which presented the progress, challenges, and lessons learned during its term, thereby strengthening transparency and accountability. At the same time, the new Incoming Committee for 2026–2027 began its training process to assume its role as national representatives, facilitated by the organization Act2gether Bolivia. The process culminated in the democratic election of the new 2026–2027 Plurinational Children and Adolescents Committee through a secret, free, and informed vote, followed by the inauguration ceremony marking the beginning of a new era of leadership and representation. During this ceremony, we received an award from the Senate of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in recognition of our work promoting and defending the rights of children and adolescents and for our contribution to strengthening participatory spaces such as the Plurinational Committee. The award was presented to our Executive Director, Claudia Gonzáles, by the Director of Equal Opportunity, Durby Andrea Blanco. We firmly believe that when children and adolescents participate, democracy is strengthened. We continue working to ensure that their voices are heard, respected, and taken into account in the development of public policies in Bolivia.