You are right though — bottom line: appreciate what you have.

We do hope that writing about issues like this will put a personal face on these issues and countries around the world that usually get forgotten. If more people care and have a personal connection, maybe something can be done. We can hope.

@Nomadic Chick: Thank you for including this article in your weekly round-up and for your kind comment. One of the main reasons we travel is to learn about the world firsthand and find out what life is like for regular people. We hope to share a bit of what we experience and learn through this website.

You bring up a very interesting point – Bolivia’s wealth in minerals yet rampant poverty. Everywhere you go in Bolivia there is some sort of mine or deposit of a valuable mineral, but regular people never seem to benefit. First it was the Spanish colonialists and then foreign businesses – people still bring them up as reasons why the country is poor. But now, all mining companies are Bolivian owned; more and more are becoming nationalized and owned by the State. Yet, no one we spoke to in Bolivia seems to think this is going to benefit the miners or the rest of the country. Wealth will still stay in the hands of an elite few (including corrupt politicians). Like with many countries in Africa, Bolivia has the “minerals curse.”

@Akila: Thanks for sharing your experiences of mining in the US and abroad. I knew that mining in the US was not completely safe (i.e., you still hear of mining incidents in West Virginia), but I figured the technology used to protect miners was moons better than in places like Bolivia.

Our guide explained that there are private and state mining companies that do provide equipment (probably not as good as in States, but at least everyone has some protection), social security, regular hours and a steady paycheck. But, most people in Potosi would rather work in cooperatives where each miner is responsible for his own gear (or lack there of) and sets his own hours. I asked the guide (yes, I’m that annoying person on tours who always asks questions) to explain why people prefer working like this to the safety of a private/state company.

He went on that when people work in cooperatives, they are more independent and reap the rewards of their work. They usually have a team or group leader, but the person can set his own hours and schedule. Most importantly, the miner gets to keep what he finds (or what his team finds). This is when the guide told us about the miners who went from rags to riches by finding a new vein of minerals. Everyone wants that chance to strike it rich so they take the risk of working in awful conditions instead of taking a steady paycheck and more consistent protection.

And, when you do strike it rich, the social norm is that you to keep it for yourself – buy fancy cars, build new houses, buy a soccer team, etc. No one expects you to better conditions for the other miners or invest in trying to make lives better for those still working down below.

I believe this is one of the reasons why conditions haven’t improved in the cooperative mines. Once you strike it rich, you’re out of there.

When I first started learning about mining in other countries – especially Bolivia, Colombia, South Africa, and China – I was appalled to read that the miners wear basically no safety equipment, don’t carry back up oxygen, etc. But, like you say, in each of these countries (including the U.S.), mining is often the best option for a person in certain areas with limited education. Most miners I met in the U.S. were proud to have this occupation because it provided a stable income for their families and occasionally lead to great wealth. I don’t pity miners anywhere for the choice they make — regardless of the age they are at — because I would probably do the same if the choice was between starvation and food. What worries and irritates me is that the mining companies show little responsibility in these countries and could provide safety equipment for the miners if they were pressured to do so. The equipment exists to prevent black lung disease – it just isn’t being provided to miners in poorer countries.