Kami (Bolivia) is a remote mining village in the Andes, in the province of Ayopaya (department of Cochabamba), at an altitude of approximately 3,600–4,500 meters. It is located in an oxygen-poor, cold, and isolated area, about a 6–7 hour drive from Cochabamba or La Paz.
The population (estimates range from a few thousand to approximately 20,000 in the wider region, mainly Quechua and Aymara) consists partly of miners (mineros) who extract tungsten, tin, and to a lesser extent other minerals, and partly of farmers (campesinos) who cultivate potatoes, barley, and other crops and raise livestock.
Living conditions are harsh; the average life expectancy was historically low (around 30–40 years) due to the altitude, cold, isolation, and mining-related health problems.
A Salesian mission has been active since 1977 (including Father Serafino Chiesa from the 1980s).
It has focused strongly on education, healthcare, water supply (aqueduct), infrastructure, and especially the reactivation of a hydroelectric power plant.
This plant supplies electricity to the community, schools, the hospital, and businesses, and makes it possible to sell surplus energy, which contributes to self-sufficiency.
In short: a tough, high-altitude mining and agricultural community that is taking steps towards greater autonomy thanks to missionary development (education, healthcare, energy).
