Liliana Flores Burgo

Meet Liliana. She lives off a stretch of highway connecting the bustling cities of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba in the roadside town of Sugal. This isn’t, however, the center of her world. At nine years old Liliana has another place in mind she would one day like to call home.

“Every night I dream of France,” she says. “To become a doctor and then come back to Bolivia and help kids.”

Her motivation? “No one here is a doctor, so I want to be one.”

Edu “Messi” Cabriza Vizron

This is Edu, Liliana’s neighborhood friend. He too, dreams big, of an aspiration that mirrors many throughout the world.

“I’m the second Messi of the world!” he states. “It’s true! Everyone calls me that.”

The future futoblolista says if given the chance to play soccer professionally anywhere in the world, he would play for Brazil. And not just because they’re good, he adds, but its close enough to home that he can still play basketball with his friends on the weekends.

Edu, pictured above left and center right, practices his autograph with his friends of Sugal, Bolivia. 

I Am Bolivia is a series building a photographic census of Bolivia through environmental portraits and short stories. All photos copyright Jessica Janoski Photography 2013. For inquiries contact Jessica at janoski.jessica@gmail.com.