Most Dangerous Ways To School - BOLIVIA

we all know it walked it every day [Music] but none of them were like these the world's most dangerous ways to school [Music] freezing climbing risking their lives all for the chance of a better future spectacular and sometimes simply beautiful the world's most dangerous ways to score the youngest Valley in Bolivia a unique landscape where the Andes Mountains meet the Amazon rainforest [Music] in this remote section of one of the poorest countries in South America education is not easily accessible for the children of the jungle it's the key to a new better world and that's why they run great risks every day in pursuit of it their only way to school leads over a ravine over his 650 feet deep the children and trust their lives to a rusty iron pulley [Music] fear hunger and exhaustion are their constant companions [Music] [Music] high up on the summit of the mountain range is where the kispa family lives isolated and in the heart of the jungle it's 5 a.m. up on the mountain the school day begins especially early nine-year-old helen and 7 year old Mariela have a long walk ahead of them two and a half hours of all the children who attend the school the sisters live farthest away the girls live in extreme poverty as does 60% of Bolivia's rural population but the hardest thing for them is their solitary life on the mountaintop all their friends live down in the valley and the long journey to school is exhausting and dangerous Helen and Malala dream of what it would be like to leave the mountain and their poverty behind [Music] I want to become a doctor but I put Attalus be in this to give people good team let's go man [Music] make them healthy I want my own farm yo girl boo-boos and new things yo I'd buy sweaters and pants and socks the sisters are growing up without their father he left them for a new family their mother Lorenza who experienced jobs as a day laborer it's the only way she can feed her children [Music] Lorenza herself only went to primary school but she wants her girls to study as much and as long as possible education is their only way out of poverty [Music] is the other hand becomes when I work all day and have hardly any time for the girls it's terrible but I can't do anything about it I hope they have a good life that they live in a nice house find good husbands and have happy families the girls know that a good education is their best chance for a life far removed from misery and that it can open the door to a better future it's six o'clock school starts in two and a half hours Helen and Marilla have a long day ahead of them [Music] the sisters call the first stage of their journey the snake hill they've often seen the nakka nakka a species of coral snake in the high grass the snakes are hard to spot as most of them are only 7 to 12 inches long and their venom makes them even more dangerous it causes paralysis and can even lead to death [Music] look I were afraid of the snakes here and said I want to hit the grass with snakes to chase them away better STD send Helen and Molly gala tried to cross over the snake hill as quickly as possible they know that if they were to get bitten up here on the mountain help would arrive for them too late meanwhile on the other side of the valley the Rivero family our coca farmers like so many people in the Yungas this is the only region in Bolivia where it's legal to grow the plant [Music] seven-year-old Elmer and his four-year-old brother Murphy do get to sleep in until 6:30 boys it's time to get up every morning Elmer has to cross the gorge somewhere else where you don't have to use a dangerous cable to go to school is very good or a finger width steel cable leads from his house across the valley a kind of homemade zip line it's about 650 feet above the ground and already 30 years old it's the only way to school it takes a whole day to walk to the next bridge [Music] before going to school Elmo has to help with the coca harvest the moist warm climate of the Yungas is also ideal for coffee and citrus fruit but with coca Elmer's family can make much more money two hundred and eighty dollars a month five times as much as Helen and Maria's family what should I do help me with the weeding according to Elmer's father coca from the Yungas is not used to make cocaine there is a tradition with coca leaves in Bolivia dating back centuries people chew on them and make tea or medicine from them not that I don't want to become a cocoa farmer it's a lot of work that clever harder I'd rather be in and build house and it opens today and I'd like to build a pretty ears you know custody in a half-hour Elmer has to get going over the garage [Music] the sisters Helen and Mariela can breathe easy they've made it over the snake hill now they're entering the thick forest [Music] the girls have grown up in the jungle they know its dangers but also its tiny treasures after walking for three quarters of an hour the sisters need a snack they like the food at school best there's often fruit and yogurt but when they're really hungry they eat what the forest provides sugar cane contains a sweet-and-sour fluid albeit only one small sip for the long night all right dad taught us this it's a plant you can chew but it tastes like sugar when you chew it it's almost 7:00 the gurgles need to hurry yet they still have more than half the way to go meanwhile Elmer and his little brother are starting off on their dangerous way to school boys don't forget your backpacks don't dawdle and be careful [Applause] it's a very special day for Elmer today the seven-year-old will learn to fly for the first time in his life he will cross the gorge alone a stone in the earth that's all that's holding the homemade zipline in place four thin wires about 1,000 feet across the valley after 30 years they're rather worn out rusted and sagging the police scare me the most sometimes I imagined I would once Elmer broke his finger on the journey across the gorge [Music] it was really windy I panicked and touch the cable the wheel went over my fear normally Elmer goes across the gorge on his father's lap today for the very first time ill hang from the steel cable all alone [Music] more bit healthy I'm old enough then too heavy for my dad what is I'll make it that dictator thing isn't loving what they present mr. Elmer I'll tie this tight it's dope but Ozzy but the road needs to go up here around your back yes with the most pious come on man and the other one is for your feet like a harness hold the knot here yes don't I mean and the bag here is like a seat but I get the way the scent that make it not like this Elmer's entire weight is now resting on the war in plastic bag he could fall out at any moment several people from the region have already fallen to their death that way don't touch the cable first a test run Elmer's father wants to see if his son will panic [Music] suddenly a storm draws near the sagging cable starts blowing in the wind [Music] one though when the wind is too strong the Puli moves slower you don't get enough speed to make it to the other side with that much headwind he could end up hanging in the middle we have to be really careful with a storm like this lightning could strike the cable okay anyone on the zipline would get electrocuted [Music] Elmer's ride gets a riskier every minute meanwhile in La Paz at 11,000 800 feet above sea level it's the highest capital city in the world this is where another long formidable way to school starts the teachers journey every week 63 year old Angela commutes between two worlds her home in the big city and her school in the jungle oh boy I do it all for the children I want to help them learn a thing and I understand being I'm not putting this out here before Angela sets off with only the bare necessities in her bag one of the most dangerous routes in the entire country lies ahead of her [Music] her first destination the bus station in La Paz hola good morning Angela's colleague Luis goes with her [Music] together they run the school and teach the children let's find a taxi how much 70 bolivianos maybe a bit less is that the inferno there non-display this never had well okay about $10 for a drive on one of the most dangerous routes in the world that's a lot of money in Bolivia the government covers the cost for the two teachers on the way they'll descend almost ten thousand feet from the highlands of the Andes to the edge of the Amazon basin unhhhh Helen Lewis and the driver Carlos must cross the Andes the route unpredictable along crumbling rock faces and steep slopes at 63 Angela actually could have retired long ago but one thought drives her to take this risky route every week she knows she can help the students make their way out of the jungle the biggest danger lurks in the sky a thick wall of fog descends on the mountains Carlos the driver is tense he's seen a lot of accidents on this road [Music] little party I mooch on the Avena it's really dangerous with this much farther than early you never know what's coming where are these there are often landslides and rocks fall on the street the most dangerous part of the route is yet to come many people have lost their lives here back to Helen and Mariela they're relieved finally they're going downhill for a short safe stretch in the afternoon the sisters will have to hike back up the path they're running down now when they get to school differs from day to day the girls don't have a watch [Music] at this waterfall the girls know they've made it halfway Helen and raghida take a short break the water has made the sharp stone slippery Helen's old shoes are much too small for her and her toes her we want to play in the water the girls enjoy the waterfall at home on the mountain there's only just enough rainwater for a quick wash they can't afford to lose too much time otherwise they'll get to school too late then a lot more water comes down from above than the sisters would like we're getting all wet here between the Andes in the Amazon the weather can change within minutes Helen and Mariela climb under a rock ledge the girls don't know how long they'll be stranded here or if they'll make it to school on time I'm ready great on the other side of the valley the rain has passed by Elmer is ready for his first flight alone on the steel cable his father checks all the knots one last time we can't stay a father-son team forever the time has come to let him go nice time with my liquid s discourses Elmas father poor figlio goes ahead Elmer is right behind [Music] yeah keep going go it's almost over we're almost there by myself soon you'll be flying over the gorge alone done this trip has buoyed Ellmers courage he has overcome his fear of the steel cable his brother on the other hand is still too young for this test I felt like a bird I flew it was really fast they know she that they'll be enticed they'll all be well then I felt the wind and I flew the way Ellmers little brother still rides over the gorge on his father's lamb tied on with only a piece of cloth from here the boys have to proceed on foot the teachers Angela and Lewis are approaching the most dangerous part of the drive to school [Music] the dirt road leading toward the jungle it descends nearly ten thousand feet over a distance of only 37 miles [Music] the road barely wider than the car itself [Music] the driver stays as close as he can to the rock wall on the other side the road drop saw two thousand feet traffic coming from the opposite direction means mortal danger in that case the car must drive in reverse to one of the rare sections of Road that are somewhat wider [Music] yo Moyes nikomina gotta finish each week the journey is a real stress on me but it's very dangerous so panel I do it all for the children so they can learn something is happy crosses remind the teachers of the constant danger several hundred people have gone off the road and plunged into the abyss many on this very curve it drops off thousands of feet into a crater water falls from above fall directly under the street if the ground softens too much it can give way under the weight of the car and carry those inside to certain death carlos drives the minivan very carefully along the cliff edge finally it's over the drive down one of the most dangerous roads in the world [Music] uncle Aaron Lewis have a week of teaching ahead of them during that time they'll live at the school [Music] in the heart of the Yungas jungle there are two very simple bedrooms for the teachers not to be compared with their apartments in the big city before opening the classrooms they'll take a short rest it's 7:45 a.m. school begins at 8:30 [Music] Helen and Malala have made it through the jungle the street in front of them leads to school one more hour on foot time is running short the girls have got to walk faster if they want to be on time [Music] meanwhile the temperature has risen to 86 degrees Fahrenheit the girls trudged wearily along the asphalt they ought to be wide awake and especially careful though as the street has treacherous curves and is heavily traveled the girls are slowly running out of energy we get tired when we walk so far we never must go so it's hot it can be pull off now and again in the puddles it's been long the school is still two and a half miles away to the girls the road feels endless [Music] after a half-mile walk Elmer and his brother reached their destination [Music] the point they Adam our school in the middle of the valley [Music] there a couple of minutes early the teachers are sleeping and haven't opened the doors yet but that's no problem on the contrary I like playing a bit before school starts that power soccer field is my favorite place Helen and little Mariela are out of energy but then something truly unusual happens [Music] an acquaintance of their mother spots the two girls on the side of the road what luck on the motorbike they have a chance to get to school on time [Music] to be sure the streets here are also anything but harmless but Helen and Mariela are simply happy that they don't have to walk as long as they get to ride they don't care about the traffic and the dust clouds [Music] [Music] [Music] done the sisters are almost at their destination they have rested their feet for a few minutes a rare luxury [Music] now school awaits them [Music] they're happy for class to start but also to finally see their friends again these are the two most important things in the sisters lives Mariela is in one classroom with Elmer and his brother [Music] [Applause] helen is in a second classroom hiren the older kids in the school are in her room in total 29 children attend the school ranging in age from 4 to 13 the day begins with morning gymnastics time to March standstill every Monday at the flag ceremony the teachers announced the government's latest organizational plans today for example that the school will soon get a new classroom in addition angela emphasizes how much the president supports the cause of the coca farmers [Music] then the most important item on the agenda the national anthem [Applause] the weekly ceremony is meant to teach the children discipline at an early age each week one child is allowed to raise the flag for the little ones it's a big honor finally after 45 minutes of standing at attention class begins there are six classes but only two teachers and two rooms so each room has three classes in it and they all work on different subjects at the same time in this room art Spanish and nature studies the first six years of school are free and technically compulsory but especially in rural regions many children have to work from an early age and thus skip school bolivia is the only country in the world in which child labor is legal starting at the age of 10 what medicinal plants do you know think about it after what medicinal plant do you know Daniel coca coca what does it help with stomachaches then comes the students favorite part of the day lunch the government pays for cookies bananas and chilled juice [Music] it's a very special treat for the kids as hardly any of the families own a refrigerator por Mariela and Helen this is often the best meal of the day at home they usually only get bread and tea the family can't afford sweets at all [Music] so I love lunch times and afterward I play soccer with my friends the children are especially proud of their soccer jerseys also a gift from the government each child gets an outfit with their name on it it's usually the children's most expensive and favorite article of clothing Lewis teaches in the second classroom today's schedule includes social studies religion and math what's 4 times 14 Lewis also teaches three classes simultaneously many of the students have to walk a long way to school but no one walks as far as Helen and Mariela and their walk home lasts even longer that's why it's often hard for nine-year-old Helen to keep up with the other children at home she has little time to study for tests but she works hard for her dream of one day becoming a doctor [Music] very often the children are exhausted sometimes they fall asleep during class many children don't get home until late especially Helen and Mariela they usually don't manage to get their homework done the girls love their few hours at school it's often the only time they have to just be children the way home is much more difficult I'm tired for schools and we have to go uphill at home I helped my mom take care of my little brother and I have to do the laundry 2:00 p.m. school is over while the other children wait for the rain shower to pass Helen and Mariela head off as quickly as possible they have to be home again before dark otherwise they might get lost in the jungle the way home is much more arduous than the way to school now they've got to go uphill [Music] there one bit of comfort the leaves of the thick forest shield them from the rain the climb takes them three hours [Music] the boys are also on the way back home they have to hurry up because there's a special ritual at home tonight on the plantation but four year old poor video is dead tired from school missed again it's nice to have a little person I like taking care of I help him when he falls [Music] Elma carries his brother the whole way to the edge of the gorge [Music] the children cannot take the zipline without their father they're not strong enough to pull themselves to the other side in case of an emergency [Music] hi boys how are you that was school there are two cables strung across the gorge the cable for the way back starts a little higher up and is thicker here all three of them can fly together but to do so the father would need to hold on to both of the boys at the same time like on the way there Elmo flies with his own pulley little porphyrios father fastens him to his own body the piece of cloth [Music] [Music] made it after one of the world's most dangerous journeys to and from school Elmer and his little brother are back safe at home hi mom tonight the family will perform the Pachamama ritual once a year the coca farmers from the neighborhood get together and pray to mother earth their supreme deity [Music] they give thanks for their gifts and asked for a good harvest happiness and health the boy's father core video builds a kind of altar with various offerings [Music] Helen and Mariela wished simply to make it back home again it was a long day for the sisters they have been on their feet for 13 hours the girls feet and knees ache [Music] it's 5:00 p.m. the Sun will go down soon it gets pitch dark quickly in the forest then the girls wouldn't be able to see where they're going anymore they could get lost or fall down the slope [Music] the girls are exhausted with their last bit of strength they make it to the summit of the mountain they are home [Music] hi relax a little bit the day ends with a modest dinner the girls are tired but happy and I'm exhausted but tomorrow we'll take the same path like every day the girls always keep their goal in mind to get an education for a better life far from the mountain and from poverty at the Pachamama ritual seven-year-old Elmer prays for a good and happy future when he will be an engineer one day Elmer's father drizzles pure alcohol on the motley collection of offerings Erbs llama wool tinsel and figurines made of sugar later the family will bury the ashes in the ground in that way they send their offerings and their wishes to Mother Earth one day Elmer would like to build bridges for the inhabitants of the valley so that no child has to risk its life simply to go to school [Music]

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Keywords: most dangerous ways to school, most dangerous ways to school bolivia, most dangerous ways to school documentary, the most dangerous ways to school, the most dangerous ways to school documentary, school bolivia, school way bolivia, bolivia, documentaries, documentary, free documentaries, free documentary, full documentaries, full documentary

Id: iGRnd8WlcIU

Length: 48min 0sec (2880 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 23 2019