ADRA Helps Hundreds Complete Literacy Program in El Salvador

February 25, 2023 | San Salvador, El Salvador | ADRA El Salvador and Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

More than 500 persons in El Salvador have learned how to read and write thanks to an annual initiative supported by the Adventist Development and Relief (ADRA) and a partnership with the Ministry of Education in El Salvador.

Hundreds gathered at the Adventist Training School in San Juan Opico, Libertad, in the Central American country on Jan. 21, 2023, for a special graduation ceremony where 521 received diplomas for completing the one-year literacy program—ongoing since 2002. We

“You have made a special commitment to better your lives and we are delighted to see you here today to celebrate with you,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in the Inter-American Division. Pastor Henry praised the hard work of church member volunteers, ADRA and the union administration for their decades-long commitment to improving the lives of so many people in the country.

David Poloche, ADRA Inter-America director, thanked everyone involved in the longstanding project that continues to transform the lives of so many people.

The ADRA Inter-America partnership with ADRA El Salvador has seen a commitment and support from many organizations in the past, said Alexander Figueroa, ADRA El Salvador country director. In 2014, more than 1,000 people were part of the literacy program and inn 2017, more than 700 persons completed the literacy program thanks to the financial support of North American Division’s Hope for Humanity, the IAD, and the church in El Salvador.

The literacy program takes about a year with the Ministry of Education training the ADRA personnel, and provides printed materials, technical and legal follow-up for persons who finish the process and reach new levels of education, explained Figueroa. “Every year we have more than 200 volunteers, about 40 percent of them are church members who week after week commit to helping,” he said.  Regional graduation ceremonies are held each year, but this year saw everyone in one location for the celebration, he added.

During the past three years, more than 1,200 persons have graduated. “The pandemic slowed down the average 500 persons who graduate from the program each year, but we are happy to see more involved in the program now,” he said.

National statistics show that in 2019 there was an average of 30 percent or more than 500,000 people who did not know how to read or had not reached the sixth grade, said Figueroa. More than 80 percent of that number is women, he added.

Figueroa reported that 70 percent of those enrolled in the literacy program are older people and 90 percent of those are women, said Figueroa.

“When we offer education, we bring development,” said Figueroa.

For Milton Serrano Zepeda of San Francisco Menéndez town in Ahuachapán Department in El Salvador, graduating from the literacy program was a dream come true. “This has changed my life,” said Zepeda. At 54, he is different now. “I’m no longer an illiterate. I can now sign my name instead of putting my fingerprint, and it’s so wonderful to know that it is possible, and we can accomplish this.” He has encouraged others to learn to read and write and taught some friends how to sign their name. “I feel so proud of myself and feel like the I’m probably the one who’s benefitted the most from this program,” Zepeda said.

Each beneficiary received his or her diploma, a reading workbook, and a bible, church leaders said.

For Delmy Hernández, from the Sensembra municipal district, volunteering to help five in her group to read and write has brought a lot of joy. She is among 200 trained facilitators who took part in the literacy program last year. “As a facilitator I feel so much satisfaction when I see them get their diploma,” said Hernández. “To see their hard work, even for some who need a little more time to complete the program, with patience, it’s wonderful to reach this point of graduating.”  The teaching techniques are the same when teaching a child, a young person, or an elderly person, she added. “I’m so happy and proud at the fruits we have been able to see during this time teaching.”

Pastor Abel Pacheco, president of the El Salvador Union congratulated all the recipients and thanked government agencies and donors for assisting during the last two decades in bettering the lives of thousands of people across the nation.

To learn more about the literacy program and other initiatives led by ADRA in El Salvador, click HERE