The Gallery
All text and photographs copyright of Our Forgotten Children
Bolivia
Despite being rich in minerals and natural gas, Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. It is also the most isolated.
At more than 4,000 meters above sea level, a single strip of tarmac crosses Bolivia's Altiplano, the high plateau between La Paz and the fishing communities surrounding Lake Titikaka.
Emma and her older sister Lourdes pause for a rest from pushing their cart on the seven mile journey to the local market.
Their parents eke out a living on the land, and bring their produce to sell in the poor communities on the outskirts of La Paz. There, in Ciudad Alto, the stalls are stacked high with vegetables, but business is slow.
Older children follow their parents' example and build pyramids of tomatoes and eggs, cavalcades of wool. Like most of Bolivia's Aymara Indians, three year-old Christiana's cheeks are reddened by the year-round cold.