Adult literacy programme
Peru, 2008
Social Issue
The project is carried out in Peru, in the Department of Huancavelica, Tayacaja Province, Ahuaycha District, an area set in the high mountains that is difficult to reach. It is one of the most economically depressed areas of Peru with 88% of people living in poverty (Source: ENAHO) and an illiteracy rate for those over 15 of 29% (Source: ENAHO).
It has a predominantly peasant population that generally exploits small agricultural plots which are unfertile and therefore have low productivity, whilst using small common areas of natural pasture, which are subjected to intense overuse.
This type of activity hardly provides the financial support necessary to survive and, due to the illiteracy of the population, it is very difficult to break this cycle of poverty.
Our Response
The project consists of:
- The conduction of literacy programmes.
- The provision of occupational training so that adults can more easily get jobs or work for themselves. These consist of workshops that teach weaving, tailoring, carpentry, cold ceramics, and IT. In this respect, Nueva Frontera helps to put students in contact with different commercial entities in order to foster the development of their activity and open new channels for them to sell their products.
- The elaboration and distribution of texts explaining How to Learn to Read and Write. These are special texts for adults that have proved to be a practical, quick, and effective system for learning to read and write.
Each study cycle lasts 6 months.
The system used is that of training educators. These are people that before receiving the training were at the same level as the students that they are teaching. It has proven to be a very effective system, as it is very motivating for students to see how much a person has learnt that just a few months before was at the same level as them.
Furthermore, important values that are highlighted during the project are teamwork, solidarity, self-esteem, and honesty.
Expected Social Impact
In this respect, the programme has the following objectives:
- To reduce the illiteracy of the population.
- To make the population aware of the importance of education.
- To improve the area’s social and economic environment.
This donation will benefit around 300 people per year.