Impacting Lives with CLEBA in Colombia

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From Alesha Anderson, international programs coordinator at ProLiteracy:

Corporacion Cooperativa (CLEBA) has been pioneering literacy in Medellin, Colombia for more than 25 years, and has been partnering with ProLiteracy for more than 20 years.

I started my trip in Colombia visiting CELBA’s national office and spent the morning talking to one of their literacy instructors and some of the participants. The instructor, Dioselin, has been working with CLEBA for more than eight years. He says that in addition to reading and writing, CLEBA offers a time for dialogue where participants share stories, thoughts, and feelings they are experiencing as they pursue their ‘journey in learning’. Dioselin also shared a story about a member of the community who had been an ex-paramilitary soldier. The paramilitaries are a terrorist group that have always fought and competed with the opposing terrorist faction.

When the former soldier joined the literacy class, he didn’t talk much. Nor did he lift up his head or look at any of the other participants. He started class with very low literacy skills and self esteem. He had several learning challenges and would often disappear from the community and skip class for weeks on end. But he always returned. After a year he started to talk more and gain confidence. Dioselin kept encouraging him in his studies and he eventually graduated from primary school after three years. He continued to gain confidence and reintegrate himself into society–going to class, getting a job, and occasionally talking with other people in the community.

Today, he is close to finishing his high school education and continues to focus on his education. Dioselin hopes he may someday enroll in university.

Comments

  1. KacharieFebruary 10, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    ADULT LITERACY A PLUS IN CAMEROON
    I remember how my mom went to adult school in the village. Many of them were taught how to read and write. In addition, the women were taught domestic science.
    My dad at that time was an elementary school principal. At that time the issue of females going to school was far-fetched as they were expected to get married and produce children. By the time I grew up, this cultural norm gradually changed and we had a lot of females in my elementary school.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glenroy PinnockJune 4, 2011 at 2:28 PM

    This is a living testimony of adult education at the grassroots level. I am feeling happy to see our deprived mothers getting the chance to be educated. Mothers please keep this momentum going.

    ReplyDelete

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