Seniors graduate to Service in Guatemala
Literacy:Students co-founded a non-profit organization for women.

When students are concerned with injustice in Latin America, they typically organize a fundraiser at El Torito restaurant. It wasn’t that simple for seniors Ana Moraga and Tania Torres, who have spent their last semester of college co-founding the nonprofit agency “Leer es Poder.”
The organization, whose name means “reading is power” in Spanish, is a pro-literacy tutoring organization for women. After graduation, Moraga and Torres have pledged to move to Guatemala City, Guatemala for at least a year to implement the program.

Aware that Moraga was committed to social justice, political science assistant professor Dr. Jodi Finkel approached her in January about a news broadcast on National Public Radio. The story was about prostitutes in Guatemala who had joined a female soccer league in hopes of gaining better government health programs. One of these women, Susie Silka, discussed her life-long pursuit of literacy—a testimonial that inspired Moraga and Torres to take action.

Though inspired by all the struggles the prostitutes faced, advocating for literacy was the first step. “It felt that depriving these women of a basic education was a deprivation of a basic human right,” said psychology and Spanish double major Moraga. “We learn how to read and do it without thinking about it. It is a tool that empowers people. Having this tool gave me a responsibility to share it with others.”

As the Latin American expert member on the Board of Directors, Finkel felt the Democracy Council would be a good organization to launch their effort. “The Democracy Council is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit whose mission is to promote stable democratic institutions in emerging countries,” said Finkel. “They have agreed to host Leer es Poder, which gives official nonprofit status and improves our chances for obtaining funding.”

The Democracy Council is currently voting to approve a $1,000 grant in addition to $4,000 from Amnesty International and other individual supporters. This funding will go toward establishing a one-on-one tutoring program for 50 illiterate women in Latin America. The 12 prostitutes on the soccer team will be the first students—with further hopes of providing childcare and a service-learning course.

When choosing the location, Moraga and Torres wanted to stay true to the soccer team that inspired them. “The organization will be located in Guatemala City since this is where this group of women are,” said Moraga. “Sixty percent of women in this country are illiterate, 66 percent drop out before reaching the third grade, and only one out of eight women go beyond the sixth grade—the need for this type of organization is huge.”

Despite being advocates for Latin America at LMU, Moraga and Torres didn’t plan to make a non-profit endeavor their careers. “A few years ago, I figured I would have a desk job, but now I can’t see myself doing anything that wouldn’t allow me to live with the people I serve,” said Torres, a theology major. “When we do finally return, we both want to [go to] graduate school at some point.”

Once established, they plan to link their efforts to LMU’s Alternative Breaks program and Campus Ministry, who currently have programs only three hours away in Mexico. The hands-on experience they gained through LMU’s programs taught the women the power of taking action. “More than a fundraiser on the bluff, Leer es Poder is an example of two students and a professor following their quest for justice,” said Moraga. “However, I feel that it is more dangerous to live a life with a passion unfulfilled, to live a dreamless comfortable life with human rights violations happening all around us.”

The women agree that there is a link between attending LMU and being motivated to serve. “I believe that I cannot walk out with an LMU education without putting to practice the service of faith and the promotion of justice,” said Moraga. “I cannot know about the injustices in the world, sit back and let them happen. It is my responsibility to use the Jesuit and Marymount education, its mission and its values, to seek justice.”

The 25 percent proceeds contributed from restaurant fundraisers hails in comparison to Moraga and Torres’ 100 percent devotion to literacy in Latin America. Donations to Leer es Poder can be made out to Democracy Council—Guatemala Literacy Project, and can be left with the Center for Service and Action, which can be contacted at x82959.

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