ProLiteracy Helps Learners Write Love Letters in Colombia

-

Pueblorico is a small town about three hours from Medellin nestled in the heart of the Colombia’s mountains. Its name—translated as “plentiful town”—comes from its lucrative mines...and its coffee. Its high mountain location is an ideal climate for cultivating coffee, and many people rely on the coffee farms for employment. Because employment is dictated by the harvest, there is usually only steady work for four months out of the year—from October to January.

ProLiteracy has been supporting literacy and micro enterprise projects in Pueblorico for more than 10 years. Alesha Anderson, international programs coordinator at ProLiteracy, visited Pueblorico in January. She visited an literacy class with 18 participants of all different ages—middle-aged and elderly men and women, young boys and girls and teenagers.

“Many of the learners expressed their gratitude for the literacy classes and shared how their improved literacy skills are benefitting their families,” says Anderson. “Two couples even attend class together, every night for three hours. This is particularly significant because in some rural communities in Colombia, the traditional belief is that women don’t need to receive an education.”

“My wife and I are learning together,” said one adult learner, Leonelio. “We are both in fifth grade and hope to finish our primary education. My favorite topic to learn about is math. I love numbers!”

Another adult learner, Paolo, laughed and said: “Now that my wife and I are learning to read and write, we can write each other love notes.” Paolo continued: “I work all day in the coffee fields and sometimes I come home and I’m so tired. But I always push myself to attend class at night. It’s very important for my wife and me to learn together. We help each other.”

Literacy classes in Pueblorico are reaching marginalized people who have had very little opportunity for education due to lack of resources or life circumstances. The chance to gain an education is bringing beauty and pride back to individuals and their families. Literacy is giving people a place to come together and enjoy learning new things.

Comments

  1. Summer PisciottaFebruary 22, 2011 at 11:58 PM

    What a great story and message to be heard. We sometimes underestimate the power of each other. Here are people who work long hours in coffee fields during the day and then come home to want to learn how to read and write. Fantastic! Their drive to learn together is contagious. Stories like this should be shared. It is amazing how many people will catch on.

    ReplyDelete
  2. dragon76February 24, 2011 at 1:04 AM

    Thank you for sharing such story of great service to humanity; unselfishness commitment with others. You do not hear these things happening globally. Some people take things for granted: education and family. While those who wish they had the opportunity for learning, there are those who do not feel there is a need to acquire knowledge in today's world. This international work gives the Pueblorico a chance of opportunity, and with hope and faith.
    I am sure the Pueblorico community have appreciated your dedicated work and "kind heart".

    ReplyDelete
  3. gunnyawnFebruary 26, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    What a wonderful way to push literacy among those who aren't that adept at using language! Even some of us who consider ourselves expert language users could sometimes use assistance in composing love letters!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ray's BlogMarch 1, 2011 at 11:54 PM

    Great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ray's BlogMarch 2, 2011 at 12:14 AM

    Providing literacy classes to marginalized inhabitants of Colombia will improve their communication skills and ways of living as well.
    By completing at least their primary education can lead them to make correct decision without difficulty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. EcuatoriGringaMarch 3, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    Thank you everyone for your comments! At ProLiteracy we have seen that basic education provides learners with tools to improve their lives. What we’ve constantly witnessed in our programs is that improvement in literacy trickles down to benefit children, other family members, and more than anything, gives learners the confidence they need to bring about change in their lives and communities.

    Alesha Anderson, International Program Officer, ProLiteracy

    ReplyDelete
  7. KrisJuly 13, 2011 at 10:50 AM

    Hi all,

    It is easy to see how literacy education is valued as intergenerational with benefits being cumulative over time.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CONFINTEA VI - Blogging from Belem, Brazil

-
Image
David Harvey, ProLiteracy President & CEO - From the International Civil Society Forum (ICSF) - Belem, Brazil - 11/28/09 Lynn Curtis, head of ProLiteracy´s international programs, and I, David Harvey, arrived this past Saturday after a 10 hour flight to Belem, Brazil, to participate in ICSF. Over 1000 NGOs from all over the world are participating in the Forum, ahead of UNESCO´s CONFINTEA conference. CONFINTEA only happens every 12 or 13 years, so this is a rare meeting indeed! The Forum is preparing NGOs to participate in CONFINTEA, and will prepare an action agenda to try and influence the outcome of CONFINTEA. David Harvey, From ICSF Belem, Brazil - 11/29/09 One of the opening speakers of ICSF, Jose Roberto Guerara, from the Asia/Pacific Association for Basic Education, asked people to stand up if they had participated in past CONFINTEA conferences, with the first happening in the late 40s. A few people stood up. Mr. Guerara then asked, ¨"what has changed since t
Read more

Increased Attention to Adult Literacy : U.S. Government and UN Join Forces

-
ProLiteracy’s 80 years of global experience have caused us to recognize the tragic reality that adult literacy, a crucial element of the development and poverty reduction process, is often missing from key international policy discussions. In the past few weeks, the adult literacy topic has been highlighted among top government and international organizations in three critical areas. Educating Girls Today, 796 million adults worldwide lack basic literacy skills; two-thirds of that population are women. UNESCO recently announced a joint project with the United States Department of State, targeting education rates among women. The program , “Better Lives, Better Future” will help stem dropout rates of adolescent girls as they transition from primary to secondary education. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hopes that this new focus will help policy makers effectively target education investments. “When we educate a young girl, we are shaping our world for a better tomorrow
Read more

ProLiteracy Celebrates International Women’s Day!

-
Image
Today, On March 8, 2011, we mark the Global Centenary for International Women’s Day – 100 years since the first International Women's Day. More than one million women and men attended rallies in 1911. Today, we remember and honor the achievements women have made all over the world. The United Nations Global Theme for International Women’s Day 2011 is: Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women. We at ProLiteracy would like to express our appreciation to our program partners who work in more than 30 countries to help women gain literacy skills and access to information about health, human rights, and micro enterprise. Every day, women open doors for new levels of education, employment, and progress for their families and communities. ProLiteracy celebrates women today! We stand in solidarity to support the many partners we have working on behalf of women in North/South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to see women c
Read more