The power of education: A qualitative study to the role of NGO education programs in the empowerment of young women in La Paz, Bolivia

Abstract

Although female enrollment rates in higher education are increasing worldwide, there are groups that stay behind. In the Bolivian context, socially and economically disadvantaged young women are still at disadvantage to complete their schooling. This is where certain NGO education programs step in. In this research the following question is central: How do NGO education programs like Helping Hands support the empowerment process of young women in La Paz, Bolivia? Education is an important tool in the process of empowerment. However, education alone is not enough to fully empower a woman. Additionally, as gender relations are culturally specific and differ across contexts, it is important to consider cultural contexts when looking at strategies to foster empowerment. As studies on the role of NGO education projects for women empowerment are lacking, especially in the Bolivian context, this study is empirically relevant. Additionally, it can be helpful for NGO projects to see what dimensions are effective to support processes of empowerment. The research has been conducted in La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia. Qualitative methods like conducting in-depth interviews and conducting participant observation were used to gain understanding of the lived experience of the participants. This study states that a holistic approach is needed to support the empowerment processes of young women in La Paz, Bolivia. In this, four important dimensions of empowerment are presented. These are 1) the economic dimension, 2) the health dimension, 3) the social dimension and 4) the personal dimension. The study concludes by stating that NGO education programs are a great way to bring individual change from a grassroots level. However, structural barriers are not necessarily removed by these programs.