Notes from Colombia—Part II

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By David Harvey

President and CEO of ProLiteracy

What about literacy in Colombia, you might ask? After all, ProLiteracy has a history of almost half a century of supporting native-language literacy programs that reach some of the most disenfranchised in Colombia: those displaced by violence and warfare; indigenous tribes, particularly women; coffee growers; and former FARC guerillas who through demilitarized zones, participate in literacy programs as part of an effort to integrate into mainstream society.

The grassroots and indigenous programs we have historically supported--Alfabetización Pueblorrico, Centro Laubach de la Educatión Popular Básica de Adultos (CLEBA), Fundación Bienestar Humano, and Fundación Juan Tama--do tremendous work every day to reach those most in need and to provide economic opportunities in what is now a booming economy. Last year, Colombia's economy grew by 7 percent, probably an undercount since the country was hit by historical rains that damaged crops and hurt the infrastructure.

Since 2010, I have been talking to my colleagues about a desire

to host an international adult literacy conference, perhaps in South America. ProLiteracy formerly did regional meetings in South America, with the last one held in El Salvador in 2005. But financial cutbacks and a recession meant we had to postpone additional events. Now, I am so jazzed and excited by what I have seen in Colombia and other South American countries related to literacy initiatives, that I pursued the idea anyway.

This trip to Colombia is a personal trip for me, paid at my own expense; however, through chance,

I connected to an old friend from Washington, D.C., Hunter T. Carter, and his partner, Cesar Augusto Zapato, who live in Medellin part time. We started talking about the work of ProLiteracy and my dream of doing an international conference in South America. The next day, they connected me to their good friend, the president of the Medellin city council, Bernardo Guerra Hoyos, the son of a prominent Colombian national politician. I also got to meet the entire city council and met with the city government's office of international cooperation.

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