Bolivia: Building Opportunity

What happens when the doors close? You build your own.

Gabriela Ledezma: Founder of Aquasmart

For Gabriela, the problems facing young people in Bolivia are not abstract.

She has seen water shortages affect communities around her. She has watched students encounter technologies they had never seen before. She has experienced what it means to approach institutions as a young person and find that the doors are often closed.

Through AquaSmart, an organization focused on technology, sustainability, and education, she has tried to build solutions herself.

We spoke with Gabriela about water, education, innovation, inequality, institutions, migration, and what Bolivia needs to give its young people more opportunities.

Where It Started

Q: Since you entered secondary school, what made you interested in social problems and finding technological solutions?

Gabriela: 

Since I entered secondary school, I became very interested in social problems, especially problems that could be addressed through psychological and digital solutions.

That interest started through the local science fairs we have at our school and in Bolivia more generally. They allowed us to participate with innovative solutions related to sustainability and digital platforms, and that’s where my interest began.

We worked on different social problems, including water. There were also projects involving gas, biogas made from organic waste, solar panels, and other technologies.

But AquaSmart had a greater impact because my city was going through a period of water scarcity. The problem was both the lack of water and the contamination of the water that did exist.

Seeing the Water Problem

Q: Was there a specific moment that made you want to develop this technology?

Gabriela: 

My city was going through a period of water scarcity, but there were also periods when water was available and contaminated.

I have many friends and family members who live in the province, so I was able to see what was happening. It wasn’t only that there wasn’t enough water. When water was available, it could also be contaminated, and that could cause very serious infections if children or adults consumed it.

I was able to see personally that the water was contaminated during certain periods, and that was what pushed us to work on a solution.

When Institutions Don’t Respond

Q: When you were developing AquaSmart and saw your community facing this problem with water, did you feel that institutions and the government were doing enough to help?

Gabriela: 

Definitely not.

There was a province that suffered very strongly from the water shortage. There were alerts about the situation, and people went to local and governmental authorities. However, many of the requests did not receive a response.

The problem continued. It has been something that has been carried on for four or five years.

As an organization, we approached local authorities and governments, but many times the doors close for young people, especially for those of us who are still in secondary school.

So the main purpose of our organization became acting ourselves. We wanted to work from a different perspective and try to address the problem when the institutions weren’t responding.

What Is AquaSmart?

Q: For someone who has never heard of AquaSmart, how would you explain it?

Gabriela: 

AquaSmart is an organization that develops automated irrigation systems.

The prototypes are designed to be used in vegetable gardens or by families that want to have their own gardens. We work with greywater, rainwater, and other sources that can be purified and then distributed to the places where irrigation is needed.

The system integrates different technologies, including aquaponics and hydroponics. The idea is not only to create a system, but to make it something that can actually be used by communities and families.

Q: Can AquaSmart be applied in other countries beyond Bolivia?

Gabriela: 

Yes. We already have a team in Peru.

Some irrigation systems are being installed, particularly in Lima, where we have already sent two systems. Right now, initial prototypes are being tested in communities that also experience problems with water access.

At the beginning, we were mainly focused on robotics and programming. Then, over time, we became involved in more programs and competitions, and that’s where the funding opportunities began to appear.

Through competitions involving environmental and social projects, we were able to obtain significant funding. Now we work with international organizations, including organizations from Europe and Germany.

The opportunities exist for creating projects in Bolivia, but you have to look for them. It is complicated, especially in Bolivia, because many funding opportunities are limited to organizations that are already registered or established as groups.

Teaching the Next Generation

Q: Have you had the opportunity to work with institutions focused on science, innovation, and sustainability? What have you learned from working with people outside your generation?

Gabriela: 

AquaSmart has a partnership with an organization that teaches STEM to children and young people.

We have gone as an organization to teach robotics and programming, and the young people definitely want to learn. In these communities, there are interests that go beyond simply implementing our system.

Some students participate in olympiads. Others are working on sustainability and recycling projects.

The experience is very satisfying because our main objective isn’t only to implement these systems. It is also to generate awareness among young people who are ultimately living through these situations themselves.

When we implement these systems, we do it together with the students. They participate in the system and learn how to implement microcontrollers and sensors.

We work alongside them. It isn’t simply about giving them the system. It is about generating knowledge and awareness about the problems that we are ultimately experiencing ourselves.

Education Beyond the Cities

Q: What do you think about the education system in Bolivia? What opportunities do you think it creates?

Gabriela: 

In general, the education system in Bolivia is quite limited, especially for students who live in communities and provinces.

The first time we went to some communities, the students had never seen things like Arduino or digital tools. It was completely new for them.

The curriculum, especially in communities and provinces, is quite limited and very different from what you would find in the cities.

As an organization, we want to implement these methods in the curriculum of schools in communities and provinces so that we can generate that kind of social impact.

The Challenge of Opportunity

Q: Beyond education, what are the biggest challenges facing young people in Bolivia today?

Gabriela: 

I would say that beyond education and the limitations of the curriculum, it is the lack of opportunities.

For people in both the cities and the provinces, opportunities are often much more limited for people who don’t have a lot of economic resources.

Governments often generate opportunities internally without making them known to people who could potentially be competitive and participate.

There also need to be spaces where young people can grow and become interested in contributing to society.

Q: You mentioned inequality. How is inequality experienced in Bolivia?

Gabriela: 

The ability to generate opportunities is very different between communities and cities.

Inequality is visible not only in terms of location, but also in terms of opportunities. Many conventional opportunities are not made known to people outside the places where they are usually offered.

There are people who could potentially create a lot of change but don’t have access to those opportunities.

Inequality isn’t only about opportunities. It is also about creating spaces where young people can grow. The goal shouldn’t only be for them to leave their communities. They should be able to make an impact in their own communities.

Young People and Institutions

Q: What can you tell us about the connection between young people and institutions in Bolivia?

Gabriela: 

In the organizations where we work, the connection between students and mentors is quite particular.

Many of these organizations bring young people and students together and help them generate change, not only in educational institutions but also in their provinces. Many have generated significant funding that benefits the community in general.

I feel that the organizations I am working with are really generating change. It is one of the first times that I have seen and experienced that these kinds of funding opportunities can work, in some cases, more effectively than local governments in communities.

Q: How much political influence do you think young people can have in Bolivia?

Gabriela: 

The influence is quite limited.

As I said, many positions within government are limited. There are also concerns about corruption and about opportunities being given to people with connections to families within government.

So, in that sense, the opportunities for young people to work within government can be almost nonexistent. The opportunities are very closed. I feel that this is a problem that needs to be resolved.

The Talent Bolivia Could Lose

Q: What is one thing you think Bolivia does particularly well that people from other countries don’t know enough about?

Gabriela: 

I have been able to see many young secondary-school students who are very interested and very capable in areas such as programming and competitive programming.

We are not the only organization in Bolivia doing this. There are many other organizations generating change, working on climate change, sustainability, and other areas.

There really is talent.

What is missing is being able to involve society more broadly. There are already organizations generating change, but we need more people to become involved.

Q: Is it common for talented young people in Bolivia to look for opportunities abroad?

Gabriela: 

Definitely.

There is a loss of talent that leaves Bolivia. That talent may not return, and ultimately the impact goes to other countries.

The country where that person was born, where they developed, loses that talent. It isn’t only about losing economic production. It is also about losing the ability to produce talent that is specifically prepared to contribute to Bolivia and generate an impact in the country.

Q: After everything you’ve built, how has your vision of leadership and sustainability changed?

Gabriela: 

My vision has changed completely.

Before, I worked more in voluntary activities, but I hadn’t seen so closely how you can impact students through classes that we sometimes consider less important. Once you actually have the students there, you realize how much impact it can have.

My perspective has changed a lot. I feel that there is a lot of Bolivian talent.

I would definitely make a call to local governments and other institutions to involve young people. Otherwise, that youth can end up migrating, and ultimately we lose talent in Bolivia.

If You Were the Government

Q: If you were working in the Bolivian government and had the power, what incentive would you give young people to return to Bolivia? What policy would you create?

Gabriela: 

I would try to generate many more opportunities.

Many of the scholarships offered by local governments are directed toward particular people or institutions that have already been established. I would create different types of economic incentives and academic opportunities.

Young people could develop themselves in universities in Bolivia, including through free opportunities to study. I would do everything possible to keep that talent in Bolivia.

Building Something Bigger

Q: What would you like to build in the next few years, both personally and with AquaSmart?

Gabriela: 

I would like to create some kind of institution, or perhaps even a university, that could generate knowledge specifically in STEM.

In Bolivia, we don’t have a university focused on producing knowledge across STEM, not only engineering but also programming and other areas.

There are careers that exist in the United States that aren’t available in the same way in Bolivia. In the future, I would like to create an institution or some kind of technical university that could train students in STEM areas and generate social impact in their communities.

Building a More Innovative Bolivia

Q: What do you think is the key to having a more innovative Bolivia in the future? How can we encourage it?

Gabriela: 

There are many tools. I would start with secondary schools.

We could implement things like entrepreneurship and marketing into the curriculum so that students can generate business ideas, create prototypes, and eventually create startups that can sustain them.

Maybe that is where the problem begins. The focus should be on young people.

Universities should also play a role. In Bolivia, we don’t talk enough about startups, programming, robotics, or entrepreneurship.

STEM isn’t only about engineering or exact sciences. It can also connect with areas such as law and medicine. If we found a real focus and showed the impact that could be generated in society, things would be different.

Q: Do you feel that young people in your community have a spirit of curiosity and want to learn beyond what they’re taught?

Gabriela: 

Definitely.

In all the sessions we’ve had with these students, the curiosity is there. There are interesting questions about how they could implement something or how they could program it themselves.

I give them tools and websites where they can investigate more about different topics.

I’ve seen a lot of talent. Sometimes you only need to explain the idea of what we’re doing. They start to understand, they start to ask questions, they start generating knowledge, and eventually they share it with everyone else in their class.

Communities, Investors, and Opportunity

Q: A lot of people in other countries talk about how foreign investment can accelerate innovation and opportunities. What could Bolivia do to show the world that it is a country worth investing in?

Gabriela: 

Maybe create more spaces where young people can generate this type of knowledge.

For example, hackathons. Hackathons are a term that you don’t really hear in Bolivia, and universities don’t often organize hackathons.

Creating networks and spaces where young people can generate ideas could be the key. From those spaces, foreign investors could see the talent that exists in Bolivia. They could identify the best people and provide them with opportunities.

That could include economic support, spaces, companies, and other resources. That is perhaps where you can really find and develop talent.

Q: Have you had situations where organizations wanted to turn AquaSmart into a commercial product?

Gabriela: 

Yes.

We are one of the first organizations generating irrigation systems for communities. We have received offers from organizations working on climate change that wanted to buy our systems, buy the prototype, and implement it as a product to sell in different parts of Bolivia.

However, we wanted to maintain the essence of the organization.

The purpose isn’t only to generate the systems. It is also to generate awareness and knowledge.

What Would You Tell Another Young Person?

Q: If a young person in Bolivia came to you and wanted to solve a local problem, what would you tell them?

Gabriela: 

It requires a lot of organization. That is perhaps the key point.

You aren’t going to grow autonomously. You need a team, different types of funding, and a place where you can develop prototypes. You need a team that can manage marketing and understand how much you are going to invest in generating and developing the systems.

It is really a different world. I came to understand concepts such as finance and how to build a team. These are concepts that we often aren’t taught, but they play a very important role in creating an organization and trying to generate an impact.

One Truth About Bolivia

Near the end of our conversation, we asked Gabriela one final question.

Q: If you could tell another young person one single truth about how the system really works in Bolivia, something they might not understand if they were outside the country, what would it be?

Gabriela: 

There are many obstacles when trying to generate an impact.

Many times the doors close. It isn’t necessarily because the system is perfect, or because the solution is perfect. Sometimes it goes beyond that. Sometimes local problems aren’t understood or don’t reach the people who need to understand them.

Organizations can have doors closed because governments or communities don’t understand digital tools. They don’t understand sensors. There is a general lack of understanding in the community.

Perhaps it comes partly from the way we grow up and from the way certain ways of thinking have developed over the years.

But these are obstacles that have to be overcome.

An organization can emerge precisely because it wants to generate opportunities. It can show that there is a solution to a problem. You have to continue with that idea and try to create an impact.

Maybe you can’t change 100 percent of the situation, but you can change the lives of a few people.

Looking Forward

Gabriela’s work with AquaSmart began with a local problem: water.

But the project has taken her into much broader questions about education, opportunity, institutions, and the future of young people in Bolivia.

Her approach is straightforward: build.

Build the technology. Build the team. Build the opportunities. And, when the doors are closed, find another way to keep moving.

For Gabriela, Bolivia’s challenge is not a lack of talent.

It is making sure that talent has somewhere to go.