The awards were handed out at a ceremony late last year by the president of the CEPB, Ronald Nostas, and representatives of the UN, the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union.

Hivos is committed to respond to the needs of the transgender community

Hivos Bolivia was selected out of 70 organizations for its efforts to reduce inequalities through its project “Changing Gender Identities”, which Hivos co-designed and co-implemented with local transgender communities. It aims to identify and break down the social, political and economic barriers faced by transgender people who want to register their new identities in Bolivia.

Even though Bolivia has a law allowing transgender people to change their name, sex and gender on official records, the process is bureaucratic, costly and time consuming. “Hivos is committed to respond to the needs of the transgender community and support them through the process of living in the gender they choose without stigma and discrimination,” said Claudia Cardazo, director of Hivos in Bolivia.

More than 90 people registering new identities

Thanks to the project, more than 90 transgender people have already started registering their identities, and 20 now have their new documents. Hivos Bolivia is working on a follow-up project together with transgender-led organizations to open safe spaces for dialogue about their rights. The project will work with transgender leaders in urban and rural spaces to enable rights training, peer support and community monitoring. “We believe personal and collective empowerment through this project will strengthen the transgender community’s ability to successfully advocate for creating an enabling environment,” Cardazo stressed.

Hivos’ private donors deserve our thanks

“Changing Gender Identities” and its follow-up project were made possible by generous contributions from Hivos’ network of private donors.