Meet Graciela

Graciela first came to FUBE in late 2016 after having suffered years of rape at the hands of her paternal uncle. During her first several months at FUBE, Graciela suffered from severe depression and struggled to start and finish even relatively simple tasks. Eating a whole meal was difficult for her. August 9th 2017, Bolivia’s national day against sexual violence, marked a new beginning for her. During FUBE’s annual walk in solidarity with survivors, Graciela found her voice and discovered healing in advocacy. Ever since she has participated regularly in information fairs, workshops for elementary and high school students, and radio and TV interviews. Graciela began her job skills training courses at CUBE, while also attending classes at Universidad de San Simon in Cochabamba. Today, Graciela is an active member of the Youth Network Against Sexual Violence (Red Convise). She has grown into a tireless advocate for women and girls’ rights.

Starting in 2020, Graciela has been in charge of one of FUBE’s newest and most impactful healing programs: Healthy Eating for Healthy Living. She has shown total commitment to this program and has really taken charge. She recruited survivor families to participate in the program and has shown immense leadership in connecting survivor families to the resources and knowledge they need. As Graciela likes to say, “Make healthy food, do exercise, and advocate. It makes life feel good!”