education

MSc Capacity Building & Community Development (University of Guelph, Canada)

BA Anthropology & Human Ecology (University of Colorado, USA)

12 months in Bolivia and Chile studying Spanish, community development, social movements, political science, economics, history (School for International Training, USA)

about yapame

"Yapame" (yah-pa-may) is a Spanish word with roots in Quechua, an indigenous language spoken by about 738,500 people in the Andean countries of Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. The term is commonly used at the end of a transaction in a Bolivian marketplace. After paying, the buyer says "yapame" ("give me a little something extra") and the seller gives her an item free of charge.

The "yapa" can simply be more of what was purchased, or something new for the buyer to try. It serves to cement the relationship between community members by creating reciprocity between them -- the buyer is more likely to purchase from a vendor who has been generous to her, and the seller has made a small investment in convincing the buyer to return. Sustainable community development is based on these kinds of personal relationships and daily interactions.