MUJER

Guatemala Literacy Program

MUJER was established in 2005 by two graduates of Loyola Marymount University. The project was born when Ana Moraga and Tania Torres listened to a program on National Public Radio (January 12, 2005) about the plight of prostitutes in Guatemala City, Guatemala. One of the women, Susie Sika, a 41-year-old and the mother of seven children, stated that her dream was to learn to read.  MUJER aims to make the dreams of women like Susie come true.

The initial goals of the project were to increase female literacy by teaching women, particularly prostitutes, to read and write and to inculcate a sense of civic duty among Guatemala’s youth. To increase the sense of civic duty, secondary and university students would be trained to teach the women to read and write.

Attempting to integrate the greater needs of the women in the city, the project aims to address other occupational and social needs of women as well. As a result, MUJER now offers an enriched program, depending on the needs of each individual, in English, computer, and vocational classes. The goal is to empower each person to prosper in society and to regain her dignity. With increased education and specialized skills the women will be able to find jobs to improve their lives and the lives of their families.

While educating about their individual and collective rights, the project also provides a mechanism for sharing of experiences, best practices and networking with women like themselves. By increasing dialogue and furthering their educational goals the project will help women regain dignity and integrate them into society.

Details

The program is run in Guatemala City by Ana Moraga and Tania Torres.

The project partners with Conalfa, the national literacy program, in which participants take an 8 month course and the organization accredits them with the level they passed. The women receive a certificate stating that they passed primary or secondary level education. Conalfa provides the women with the textbooks and the writing materials.  Ana and Tania are the tutors for the women and they meet with them on a biweekly basis.

In addition to the literacy aspect, Ana and Tania are offering one-on-one English and computer classes with interested women that are literate in Spanish and wish to improve their job skills.

They run a support group for the women. They use this forum to educate the women about their rights and to open up dialogue between the women, many of whom are prostitutes. 

Ana Moraga and Tania Torres introducing the project to Nobel Laureate, Rigoberta Menchu