Rising From The Fall: Basilio Vargas's Recovery

Basilio Vargas is a 34 year old miner hailing from the mountains of Potosi, Bolivia and his life is a poignant narrative of resilience, sacrifice, and the harsh realities faced by many Bolivian miners. Basilio has been toiling in the mines ever since the tender age of ten years old and destiny compelled him to become the primary breadwinner of the family in order to compensate for the loss of his father to cancer. Tasked with supporting his single, widowed mother and two siblings, he embarked on a journey marked by hardship and determination by becoming a child miner, which is vividly depicted in the 2005 documentary he was featured in: The Devil's Miner. The documentary won several awards, including awards from the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival.

Tragically, Basilio's life took a devastating turn on his birthday, November 25th, 2023, when a negligent winch technician and faulty machinery lead to a severe accident. In the middle of being hoisted down over 170 feet into the mines by the hoisting technician in order to place dynamite to clear a space for mining as Basilio does everyday, the winch technician's negligence caused the winch to snap and Basilio catastrophically plummeted 170 feet into the bottom of the cavern. As a result of this injury, he fractured his skull, clavicle, and knee. Basilio has repeatedly reported the technician's negligence and machine's malfunctioning to his supervisors for months, but nothing was done about either situation. The winch technician had been previously reprimanded in the past for his negligence. The results of this failure caused Basilio to spend some time in the hospital after needing emergency surgery and was discharged very quickly and prematurely so that his bosses did not need to pay more money. Basilio is recovering at home in agonizing pain and hugely disappointed in a system that perpetually fails him; however, looming on his mind is his wife and child that he needs to take care of during the 4-6 months of challenging recovery.

The fundraiser's objective is to assist Basilio in raising funds for his living expenses due to missed wages from not being able to work for the next several months. Basilio comes from an indigenous family rich in tradition, but, unfortunately, of very limited economic means. He has financially supported several members of his family and has no savings to draw from. Basilio estimates that he needs about $750 monthly to live; thus, over 4 months, we are looking at maybe wanting to make about $3,000. Ideally, we would like to exceed this goal and help Basilio make improvements to his life by helping him get savings to transition into another career. Basilio is about 18 months away from completing a college education, which unfortunately was put on hold during the pandemic since he needed to make money to support his family. All of the money donated will be directly sent to Basilio Vargas.

Basilio is incredibly scared that his family can end up homeless. Basilio's dreams of leaving the mines is fueled by a desire to escape the slow deterioration caused by a hazardous work environment, which is worsened by his diagnosis of Silicosis, a deadly lung disease. He wants to have another career because the mines are slowly killing him and he would like to be alive for his young daughter. With an average life expectancy of only 40 years for the average Bolivian miner, Basilio's time is precious and his inability to walk from his injuries further compounds his struggles. In his country, the social safety net is almost nonexistent and his fear of slipping into homelessness underscores the urgent necessity of this support.

Basilio has become a human face of the endemic suffering that Bolivian miners have had to face for centuries. During the Spanish colonial era from the 1500s-1700s, the city of Potosi was the richest and most populous city of the western hemisphere and its resources sustained the immense wealth of the Spanish empire. It was built on the backs of the indigenous miners being exploited as they mine out the "Cerro Rico" (Rich Mountain) for all its resources. This legacy continues today. Despite an abundant amount of natural resources and a robust mining industry that holds up the modern Bolivian economy, Basilio remains a poor, exploited indigenous worker who slowly dies without a single thought being given to him in this cruel world. The very mountain that once symbolized wealth now serves as a harsh backdrop to the struggles of those who toil within its depths. Modern Potosi, once a symbol of opulence, now stands as a desolate remnant of its former glory. The wealth that once flowed through its veins has long dissipated, leaving behind an impoverished city abandoned by many seeking opportunities elsewhere. For individuals like Basilio, the mines remain one of the few avenues for employment, perpetuating a cycle of exploitation and hardship.

Basilio himself is a very wonderful, warm, and intelligent human being who tries his best to remain optimistic in quite soul crushing circumstances. He has always remained generous and has often gave free Zoom talks to many different high school and college classrooms. During his free time, Basilio likes to play soccer, watch movies, and listen to music. In the 2005 documentary as a 14 year old, he positively articulated his dreams to leave the mines within a few years once he received an education. Nearly 20 years later, Basilio remains trapped in the mines with perpetually deferred dreams and it slowly kills him while also not being able to give the ability to adequately provide for himself and his family. Family is very important to Basilio and the haunting specter of not being a "good provider" gnaws at Basilio's soul. The weight of this burden is compounded by his commitment to caring for his sick, elderly mother who lives alone. He faces much discrimination just for the fact that he is a miner and people often call him names like "dust sucker", which shadows his every step. Thus, popular opinion, steeped in bias, further deepens the abyss, offering no solace or improvement for the non-existent social safety net in his country. Basilio's narrative is a stark call to action, urging us to confront the harsh realities he faces and to collectively strive for change, breaking free from the shackles that bind him and countless others.

To make an immediate impact on Basilio's life, we urgently need your support. Your donation will provide vital relief, offering him a chance to escape the clutches of the mines and rebuild a life that has been unjustly confined for far too long. Please, join our cause. Your contribution, no matter the size, will make a tangible difference. Let's rewrite Basilio's narrative together, offering him a brighter, more hopeful future. Donate now and be a beacon of change in Basilio's life.