In Latin America, there are two main reference points for the spread of the Centers for Independent Living (CIL) model: Costa Rica and Bolivia.
In Bolivia’s case, although the Independent Living Movement did not receive financial support from Japan’s JICA fund, dozens of people with disabilities participated in JICA’s training courses thanks to the commitment and knowledge-sharing of former scholarship recipients. Prominent leaders such as Feliza Ali and Gary Ramírez have played a key role in achieving significant progress in implementing the model within the country.
This process also serves as a valuable example of regional cooperation, showing how CILs across Latin America can support one another in developing and strengthening the movement.
Therefore, these two countries—Costa Rica and Bolivia—represent key sources of learning for anyone interested in understanding and implementing the Independent Living model in the region.
The Independent Living Movement in Bolivia began through the participation of disability rights leaders in the course “Independent Living for Persons with Disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean,” offered by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Bolivia, in partnership with the Plurinational School of Public Management (EGPP). Among the participants were Feliza Ali (2011), Gary Ramírez and Gerardo Blass (2012), and Armida Valeriano (2013).
After completing the course, the First National Independent Living Meeting was held in the city of La Paz, from December 2 to 5, with the visit of Mr. Shunji Kadota and other members of the Mainstream Association. During that occasion, the first meeting of former scholarship recipients took place, where a strategy was proposed to create Centers for Independent Living in each of the nine departments of the country.
Feliza Ali, a 2011 JICA alumna, focused her efforts in the city of Sucre, re-founding the association of persons with disabilities Nueva Esperanza with the goal of applying her acquired knowledge and becoming the model for the first Center for Independent Living in Bolivia. Later, Gary Ramírez (JICA 2012) founded Asociación DIVERTAD, and over time, more associations emerged, eventually forming the Bolivian Network for Independent Living – REVIBO.
This process was also joined by other alumni of the JICA training course “Social Participation and Livelihoods of Persons with Disabilities through a Community-Based Inclusive Development Approach”, starting in 2016 and continuing to the present day.
Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are physical spaces where people with and without disabilities work together under the Independent Living philosophy. These centers offer services designed to promote the autonomy of persons with disabilities, including:
Thanks to the support of the Mainstream Centers for Independent Living in Japan, and the technical guidance of the Centro de Vida Independiente Morpho in Costa Rica, the gradual establishment of Centers for Independent Living has begun in several departments of Bolivia.