A Dollar a Day: The New Silver
Story Access to Capital
The New Silver, filmed in Bolivia, illustrates how “Access to Capital” can change the lives of both poor individuals and poor nations. Against the background Bolivia’s “Gas War” micro-credit and macro-credit are tools of change.
About the A dollar a day series
A dollar a day is six-part international series that shows what it means to live under the poverty line. While many people recognize that surviving on a dollar a day is a struggle, very few understand the nature of poverty. In addition poor people are often not recognized for the creativity and resourcefulness they possess. The six episodes of the series revolve around themes, respectively – access to capital, access to markets, access to jobs, access to health care, access to basic needs, access to good governance.
Educational Interest
Each documentary in the A dollar a day series is an excellent resource for individuals and groups that want to learn more about the causes of poverty and what can be done about them.
Social Interest
These programs illustrate that while poor people may lack money, education, security or healthcare, they do not lack creative initiatives, knowledge and willpower. Perhaps the greatest value of this series is that you get to know people who live on a dollar a day. They become real human beings and not just “the poor.” In knowing them you discover that they are not so different from us, because their poverty is largely a result of circumstances beyond their immediate control.
Year 2005
Director Jansse, Alexandra, Country Bolivia, Duration 50 min
Scenes
- Footage of 2003 gas riots in Bolivia
- Small entrepeneur Thomas Bravo tries to explain through what the gas riots in 2003 were caused, while footage of the turmoil is showed. President Goni was replaced by the new President, Carlos Mesa , who promises in a speech to work on a fairer Gas Law.
- Breakfast at a miners family in Potosi, Bolivia
- Maria and Martin Olmedo and their children are a typical poor Bolivian family living from the silver mines in Potosi without access to capital.
- Breakfast at a high-class family in La Paz, Bolivia
- This scene introduces Jaime Barrenechea and his family. He is the President of the State Oil and Gas Company in Bolivia and struggles daily with the national access to capital. Besides, in contrast to the previous scene, it shows the big inequality between families living in Bolivia.
- Small entrepeneur Thomas Bravo’s struggle for capital
- Small entrepeneurs such as Thomas Bravo also struggle to gain access to capital. To expand his business in pressure tubes, he has to convince the bank to allow him a new loan.
- Helicopter flight shows gas plant St. Margarita
- President of the State Oil and Gas Company Barrenechea flies per helicopter to the St. Margarita gas plant in the province of Tarija. He tells of the investments in this site and the balance he tries to achieve between maintaining the investments of multinationals and the profits for the Bolivian people. This plant is owned by the Spanish multinational company Repsol .
- Entrepeneur Thomas Bravo visits the bank to obtain a new loan
- To expand his business in pressure tubes, Thomas Bravo visits the bank to obtain a new loan for a new machine and second shop.
- Micro-credit project for women of Potosi
- Banks will not give loans to poor people, so they are depending on NGO’s, such as CRECER , active in the Potosi area of Bolivia. Maria Olmedo has created a group of women who guarantee to stand in for one another in case of default. This scene shows a meeting of the group with a woman of CRECER to manage the money.
- Investors visit entrepeneur Thomas Bravo’s shop
- The investors of the bank meet with entrepeneur Thomas Bravo in person to determine if their investment will be in the right place.
- Dubious construction of gas connections in El Alto
- This scene shows the perfect image of the citizens of El Alto , all working together to realise the gas connections in their area. Proudly, President of the State Oil and Gas Company Barrenechea visits the site with the filmcrew. However, one citizen is not afraid to speak out to him. According to this man, only on this particular day people are working at the site.
- Maria Olmedo’s business of lamp-charging supported by micro-credit
- This scene shows how Maria Olmedo, supported by her family and money of NGO CRECER , tries to set up her business in lamp-charging for miners working close to their home.
- Chinese investment in Bolivian gas industry
- Good news for President of the State Oil and Gas Company Barrenechea and his struggle for the national access to capital. In this scene, he just received a confirmation of a big Chinese investment of 1,5 billion dollar in the Bolivian gas industry .
- News from the bank for entrepeneur Thomas Bravo
- Entrepeneur Thomas Bravo is able to get a loan to expand his business, though he should offer an extra guarantee to the bank. This complicates his situation.
