Chronicle · Potosí

Colquechaca: the first municipal CERT replication in Bolivia

31 leaders from 13 communities in northern Potosí completed CERT training delivered by a Bolivian trainer — proof that the model multiplies.

Colquechaca, PotosíMarch – July 20265 min readCERTMunicipal replicationPotosí

The Colquechaca community with green helmets and reflective vests shows their CERT certificates

The context

Colquechaca, in the Chayanta province of Potosí, lives from mining and agriculture. Its communities face wildfires, frosts and hailstorms — and professional help is far away.

The direct antecedent was Bolivia’s first CERT-TTT workshop, held in Cochabamba in February 2026. One of its graduates, Eng. Ricardo Guzmán Canqui of the Tomás Katari Polytechnic Institute (IPTK), brought the training to his own territory.

What we did

Between March 10 and July 19, 2026, 31 community leaders — 16 men and 15 women, including 4 adolescents — from 13 communities completed CERT training: Palca, Chacata, Chairapata, Kalojsa Alta, Lurucachi Alta, Katawi, Faracachi, Qollo, Jamachiri, Huaycachapi, Taconi, Caracochi and Colquechaca.

The training combined theory and practice: community organization, risk identification and coordination with authorities and professional teams, to act in the first moments of an emergency while specialized assistance arrives.

In parallel, AMT produced cartographic materials for the municipality, integrating administrative boundaries, natural hazards, climate-change vulnerability and the territorial distribution of the participating communities.

Disaster preparedness and risk perception
Basic fire suppression techniques
Light search and rescue
First aid, triage and medical operations
Disaster psychology and community organization
Coordination with professional emergency teams

Field gallery

Seven Colquechaca community members with green helmets pose with shovels

CERT brigade members with green helmets and vests show their certificates

Table with green helmets, reflective vests, shovels, whistles and equipment ready for delivery

Participants put on green helmets, gloves and reflective vests

Three facilitators smile with garlands of carrots, onions and local produce

Group of community members, including a woman with an aguayo, drafts their plan

Kneeling participants write their community plan on a poster

Two women, one with a hat and Andean shawl, draft proposals

First aid kits labeled CERT AMT 2026, green helmets and shovels ready

Closing ceremony in the municipal hall: authorities and the team

Community leader speaks standing before the CERT workshop

Facilitator points to the History of CERT slide before the audience

Measured results

First municipal replication of the CERT program in Bolivia: a precedent for the whole country.
13 communities now have leaders trained and equipped for first response.
The communities identified their next needs: frosts and hailstorms, wildfires, mining accidents and hazardous substances.

Equipment delivered

Personal, per leader

Safety helmet
High-visibility reflective vest
Work gloves
Emergency whistle

Community, per community

First aid kit
Shovel
Pickaxe

Participant voices

A graduate of the first national cohort, he designed and delivered the full replication in his municipality: certification turned into action.
Ricardo Guzmán Canqui — IPTK — formador CERT

What's next

Training in frost and hailstorm preparedness.
Wildfire prevention and response.
Prevention of mining-related accidents.
Handling exposure to hazardous substances.