Noticias

Since July 2024, Bolivia has experienced an alarming increase in forest fires, particularly in the departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, and Pando, with over 46,000 fire outbreaks, setting a world record. These fires, driven by agricultural expansion and ongoing drought, have devastated vast forest areas, disproportionately affecting indigenous communities that depend on these ecosystems.

The crisis has also triggered serious public health problems, such as respiratory infections and dehydration, and has disrupted the education of thousands of students, with nearly a thousand schools affected. In response, the government has declared National Disaster, initiating urgent efforts to control the fires and provide assistance to the most vulnerable groups, including children and women, who are at greater risk of exploitation and abuse.

Faced with this reality, young people and adolescents from Santa Cruz are taking the lead in addressing this emergency and tackling the structural conditions that cause it. Committed under Save the Children’s global campaign «Generation Hope,» they seek to promote the sustainable use of natural resources and raise environmental awareness through videos, gatherings, art, and music, setting a valuable example by raising their voices for environmental and climate causes.

These young people and adolescents, who are part of the Federation of Secondary School Students, the Departmental Youth Council, and the Bolivian Platform against Climate Change, receive support from the Autonomous Departmental Government of Santa Cruz, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), and Save the Children.

Through their efforts, they work to protect forests and promote effective public policies, while amplifying the voices of children in the fight against climate change and the defense of their fundamental rights.