Restore Hope: Help Complete the Sisasani Cultural Space

Hi! We are the Indigenous community of Sisasani, located on Isla Tortuga, in the municipality of Carabuco, La Paz, Bolivia. For the past five years, we have been working tirelessly to build our Cultural House – a space where our community can come together, share meals, host visitors, shelter those in need, and preserve the tools and traditions that are vital to our identity.

At the beginning of this journey, we received partial funding from our local municipality. However, three years ago, the support was withdrawn, leaving the project incomplete. Since then, our people – around 100 dedicated community members – have continued building with their own hands and resources. Despite having limited income, they never gave up on the dream.

A Community in Crisis

Over the past year, Bolivia has faced a severe economic crisis that has deeply affected our livelihoods. Tourism, our main source of income, has nearly disappeared. The lake’s water levels have dropped drastically, forcing trout to migrate and putting an end to our fishing. At the same time, drought has devastated our potato crops – another essential means of survival.

We reached out to government institutions for help, but received no response. That’s why we are now turning to the international community for support.

What We Need

The structure of the Cultural House is already built – but it remains unfinished. We need doors, windows, flooring, furniture, and materials for the final touches. The total budget for completion is 39,638.70 Bs (about £5,500). The labour will once again be provided by the community, who are ready and willing to keep building.

Why This Matters

This is not just a building – it’s a symbol of unity, resilience, and the cultural survival of an Indigenous community. The people of Sisasani have worked with strength and pride, never asking for help until they had no other option. Today, we humbly ask for your support to help us finish what we started.

Together, we can bring this dream to life.