]> http://www.ndipartidos.org/en/taxonomy/term/26/0 en http://www.ndipartidos.org/en/node/44703 <p>Bolivia – “Women in Local Politics Face Special Challenges”<br /> By Bernarda Claure</p> <p>6 February 2007</p> <p>Source: IPS News Service</p> <p>LA PAZ, Feb 6 (IPS) - Bertha Acarapi, who wears the traditional dress of an Aymara Indian woman, is a town councillor in El Alto, the sprawling slum city of one million people next to the Bolivian capital. </p> <p>Acarapi and 336 other women hold seats on 329 town councils in Bolivia. But many of them never made it to secondary school, which puts them at a significant disadvantage when it comes to having an influence in representing their communities. </p> <p>This observation is not meant to be offensive, the head of the Association of Women Town Councillors of Bolivia (ACOBOL), María Eugenia Pinto, told IPS.</p> Bolivia Reform Reformers in Action Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:04:13 -0500