Every day an army of shoeshine "boys" works the streets of La Paz, the capital of Bolivia.

They've long been victims of discrimination, wearing masks to hide their identities.

No one wants to admit to being a "shoeshine boy" - part of an army of men, boys and sometimes girls doing a job that carries a badge of shame in the capital.

But for many, it’s all the work they can find.

Now, new social projects are allowing them to emerge from the shadows.

Al Jazeera's Daniel Schweimler reports from La Paz, Bolivia.