CARE helps the groups survey the land, register and title the plots, and ensure fair and orderly land transfers. And in a country haunted by violence, CARE teaches conflict resolution skills so disputes can be resolved peacefully and fairly. In addition, CARE helps communities build schools, water systems, clinics, parks and other social services. With the passage of Bolivia's Popular Participation Law, a new era began in one of the region's poorest nations. The law sets up local committees that give voice to the needs of citizens, especially indigenous peoples.
Indigenous women are perhaps the nation's most marginalized group.
To reach them, CARE is working with local partners, such as women's health groups, and helping municipal governments to recognize and serve their needs. For example, the Our Bodies, Our Health Project trains 3,000 health workers to reach 800,000 men and women with reproductive health services. Programs like this produce long-term benefits because they build the capability of local groups and government agencies to deal with social problems, ensuring that progress continues into the future. Regional progress has bypassed some nations. Haiti, for example, remains the poorest nation in the Americas as it emerges from a decade of political instability and environmental degradation.