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Here at W.A.S.H. we believe education is also an important aspect of development. Therefore, our newest project is a Literacy program in a Community called Nahuaterique. If you would like to donate specifically to this project please include the note "This donation is for Literacy in Nahuaterique".
Project Title: Communication and Power Duration: September 2006 – August 2007
Location: Territory of Nahuaterique, Department of La Paz, Honduras
Executing Organization: CONDREZAFH
Amount Solicited: $3,628.69
Summary - The community of Nahuaterique has identified illiteracy as a primary cause of underdevelopment and low levels of civic participation. CONDREZAFH, an association of local cooperatives, would like to use the Reflect methodology to facilitate literacy groups with an initial goal of 60 participants. The Reflect methodology, a combination of adult education and local community development, won the United Nations International Literacy Award in 2003. The project will fund the costs of training and materials for the first year of the program. Within one year, participants will learn to read and write, in addition to evaluating community problems and working together to find solutions.
Executing Organization - CONDREZAFH is an economic and social development organization serving the population of the territory of Nahuaterique on the border between Honduras and El Salvador. CONDREZAFH was founded on November 10, 1992, shortly after the International Court assigned the territory of Nahuaterique to Honduras. In the 13 years since, the organization has executed a variety of development projects.
Some of their achievements include the formation of three farming cooperatives in the three main villages of Nahuaterique, the planning and execution of a plan for community management of the forest, formation of a community sewing business, and an annual cultural festival. Trainings and workshops have also been offered in the themes of citizens’ rights, youth leadership, environment, and gender equity. As a community organization, CONDREZAFH has represented the population of Nahuaterique to the governments of Honduras and El Salvador in regard to inhabitants’ access to the land and issues of nationalization. The organization has also executed productive projects to maintain it’s self-sustainability, including a carpentry workshop and an eco-tourism center.
CONDREZAFH was founded and is led by indigenous lencas who inhabit the territory affected by the 1992 International Court sentence and are members of the community they serve. Having no funds of its own, CONDREZAFH leaders are elected by the community and serve as volunteers.
Project Justification - Over the past 50 years, the territory of Nahuaterique has been the object of a border dispute between Honduras and El Salvador. This time period also included a 12 year civil war in El Salvador, during which, the population of Nahuaterique suffered repression from the militaries of both countries. The end of the conflict in 1992 left the population of Nahuaterique with a number of problems. The years of violence and uncertainty caused an interruption in public services, including education. This and the discrimination associated with rural areas inhabited by indigenous peoples have resulted in a high rate of adult illiteracy.
Throughout 2005, the leaders of CONDREZAFH were elaborating a 5-year strategic plan for the organization. During this process, they held meetings with members of the three cooperatives existent in Nahuaterique to identify and prioritize the needs of the community. All three cooperatives identified the high rate of illiteracy as a high priority community problem. When PCV Reynolds arrived in Nahuaterique in December of 2005, the leaders of CONDREZAFH, in response to the community analysis, solicited his help in designing a literacy project with the community.
From February through April 2006, the PCV worked with three community leaders, Máxima Nolasco, Apolonio Benítez, and Ana María Gomez, to design and write the project proposal. Máxima and Apolonio both learned to read and write through an adult literacy program 20 years ago and Ana María is a potential participant in the proposed literacy project. As of May 2006, more than half of potential facilitators and participants had committed to the program.
The inability to read and write has severely limited the opportunities of Nahuaterique residents to participate in the political and development processes affecting their communities. CONDREZAFH would like to use the methodology of Reflect Circles to facilitate a literacy program as well as increase the level of citizen participation.
Objective - General Objective: To organize community groups in order to improve the literacy abilities of the participants in addition to promoting community participation in the political and development processes of Nahuaterique.
Specific Objectives:
1. To train 12 youth as facilitators of the literacy process and community analysis.
2. Incorporate 60 adult residents of Nahuaterique into literacy groups.
3. Empower the participants to be actors in their own development.
4. Incorporate gender equity into all aspects of the project.
Indicators of Specific Objectives:
SO1: The 12 facilitators finish their training and commit to facilitating a community group.
SO2: 80% of participants (48 adults) within one year are considered literate according to criteria established by UNESCO.
SO3: Each group analyzes their community problems and develops a plan of action to confront them.
SO4: The facilitators are trained in gender themes and each group contains a majority of women, who suffer from a higher rate of illiteracy than men.
Duration - The duration of the project will be 12 months, the first month (September 2006) for the training of facilitators and formation of community groups, and the following eleven months (October 2006 to August 2007) for the community group activities. The timeline for the project remains fixed, but the start date of September 2006 is tentative, dependent on the completion of fundraising.
Beneficiaries:
Direct: The direct beneficiaries will be the 60 adults that participate in the community groups as well as the 12 facilitators who will receive development training and experience.
Indirect: The indirect beneficiaries will be the families of the participants and the population of Nahuaterique with a lower illiteracy rate and an increase in citizen participation.
Methodology:
Reflect is an adult education methodology developed in the mid-1990´s that connects education with community action in hopes of making learning relevant to adults. It started in El Salvador and Uganda, won the United Nations International Literacy Award in 2003, and has now expanded into at least 60 countries. CONDREZAFH is proposing that the Reflect community groups meet three times per week, for two hours at a time. The facilitators will be youth who have completed their education through ninth grade and have demonstrated leadership in the community.
The Reflect methodology is a creative and flexible approach to literacy, meant to differ depending on the needs and experiences of each group. As such, the methodology is training intensive as facilitators become competent in the understanding and use of various adult education techniques. As a result, the program is well fitted to rural villages in developing countries because it does not require resources such as electricity, classrooms, workbooks, or other equipment not available locally.
Those who have not had the opportunity to learn to read and write are also the populations that lack community projects, expectations, and are constantly reminded of their limitations. Those who have participated in Reflect programs have shown the ability to recuperate hope, project goals, and face the future with dignity as they become active in deciding the future of their lives and communities.
As a pilot program, funds will be solicited to cover costs of the first year, a time for facilitators to receive training, improve skills, and collect knowledge and resources to conduct the literacy classes. During the first year, facilitators will work in pairs to share resources and evaluate each other’s strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the pilot period (beginning of year two), facilitators will each lead their own group, resulting in a doubling of groups and participants. Each facilitator will also recruit a new co-facilitator to train and help lead their group during year two. Ideally, the program will continue as such to have a multiplying effect each year.
Sustainability:
Education is, in itself, sustainable as it cannot be taken away from a community and leads directly to development. (Education is a key component to the United Nation’s Human Development Index.) However, the proposed project includes specific aspects to ensure its sustainability and continued benefit to the community. The extensive training of facilitators in the first year will empower them to replicate their training in year two as they mentor new facilitators. In other words, their knowledge stays in the community as a replicable human resource, as opposed to class workbooks. After the one-year pilot period, each participant will be asked to contribute US $5 to cover continuing costs for more didactic materials.
Monitoring and Evaluation - From beginning to end, the project will be monitored by the project supervisor who will be responsible for managing the literacy program, training, and work of the facilitators. The supervisor will also give monthly reports on the progress of the project to the board of directors of CONDREZAFH.
Management of funds will be the responsibility of the project supervisor, under the supervision of the treasurer of CONDREZAFH. The treasurer and board of directors have been informed that no additional funds will be authorized for this project beyond what is detailed and approved in this proposal. Also, at the end of the project, an expense report will be made available to any interested parties.
During the period of meetings of the community groups, the supervisor will collect feedback from the participants and the facilitators to include, with suggestions for improving the project, in the monthly and final project reports.
If you have any questions on this project or would like more information on specific items in the budget please contact:
Joshua Reynolds
Voluntario del Cuerpo de Paz – Honduras
Nahuaterique, La Paz
504-959-0633
Jrey312@gmail.com | 
