STORY: Tobas Indigenous Tribe from Chaco
LANG: Span/Natsound
MUSIC: Tomas Leonhardt
CLIENTE: HORIZONS APTN
SOURCE: OWM
Argentina, October 2007

In the arid northern Argentine province of Chaco, where 60,000 Indians live in extreme poverty.
A new study on the effects of malnutrition is shedding new light on the region’s short-living residents.
Social worker Ronaldo Nuñez, who visited the Meguesoxoshi reservation, found 14 deaths this year alone from disease that he claims were aggravated by malnutrition.He distributes food to the remote communities deep in the forest. He said Indians long had survived by hunting, fishing and collecting native fruits. But the destruction of native forests and the spread of agriculture gradually eliminated that way of life and most now live off a meager tortilla-only diet.
The impenetrable forest is being replaced by soya production replacing the cultivation of one of the traditional products: cotton which used to be a way to provide job to the Toba community. Moreover The impenetrable forest is becoming less impenetrable and with it the Toba are losing their lands and livelihoods. So that many have to emigrated to the cities where large communities increase the shanty towns where thousands struggle to get a proper way of living.
The province does not have a health program dedicated expressly to Indians. But many fills a local hospital in the nears of Impenetrable forest with the common problem of malnutrition. Meanwhile the forest its becoming smaller many could escape but others like wild animals die because the flames with no chances.
SHOTLIST:
1.Various shots of the Impenetrable forest in the north of Argentina
2.Tracking shot of a path to a Toba’s house
3.Medium shot of house made of mud
4.Various shots of Juan Sosa with wife – showing malnourished frame
5.Cut away of fire
6.Various shots of woman kneeling
7.Medium shot of fire
8.Various inside the house
9.Wide shot of Toba’s cemetery
10.Medium shot of graves two Christians and one indigenous grave
11.Close up of indigenous grave
12.Various of president of Rolando Nuñez, President of Nelson Mandela Centre, NGO
13.SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Rolando Nuñez, President of Nelson Mandela Centre
“Native communities have been losing lands, have been losing forests. They has been pushed into tiny indian reserves where unfortunately the forest has run out of resources. That’s why these
communities used to be nomads. They need to move from one place to another to preserve the balance of their ecosystem. So, since becoming sedentary their hunting, fishing and collecting
wild fruits have ended up emptying the forests.”
14.Close up of empty pan
15.Medium shot of Rolando Nuñez delivering food to the remote communities deep in the forest
16.SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Juan Sosa, native of Toba community
“I don’t think about anything else apart from staying alive. I have grandsons, sons, everything and friends too…”
17.Pan Sosa’s wife to Sosa
18.Pan right from house to Eliseo Lopez, volunteer at the Mandela Centre chatting with Antonio who is close to death because of malnutrition
19.Various shots of men speaking
20.SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Eliseo Lopez, guide and member of Toba’s community
“So we try to talk to these people at least to try and save them. Although Antonio is not going to hold out for much longer, we are trying to help him while he is still alive.”
21.Various shots of Justina making straw baskets for sell
22.SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Justina, member of Toba community
“Question: How much is the basket?
 Answer: Three pesos (one dollar) 
Question: And how many days you spend in it? 
Answer: Just a week, a week.”
23.Tracking shot of one of the Impenetrable’s paths
24.Medium shot of dry tree
25.Medium shot of two farmers who fight against deforestation waking on a burned field
26.Set up shot of Osvaldo Maldonado (left) and Cacho Sajben (right) looking the burned soil
27.Close up of the hands of both grabbing ashes
28.SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Osbaldo Maldonado “Chala”, farmer
“The main danger its that if people emigrate to the cities and the people who remain will be left with no farms or anything. On the other hand, they kill wild animals such as rabbits, birds and nothing remains.”
29.Medium shot of Osbaldo Maldonado grabbing a burnt armadillo
30.Close up of armadillo
31.Various shots of dead snake
32. Wide shot of field that has been sown in the deforested area
32.SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Osbaldo Maldonado “Chala, farmer
“This affects health in many ways with different diseases that we never used to see before. These affect the skin and many children grow up with deformities because of deforestation and the burnt down woods.”
33.Close up of indigenous boy affected by leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites and is transmitted by the bite of certain flies which live in the woods
34.Wide shot of the boy’s family stand by the house
35.Various shots of people in slums in the suburbs of Chaco’s main city Resistencia
36.Various shots of hospital in the “Impenetrable Forest” area with indigenous people being seen to