Brazil's MST Teaches 7,000 to Read and Write with Cuban Program

Brazil's Landless Workers Movement has taught at least 7,000 people to read and write in the northeastern state of Maranhao with Cuba's adult literacy program, "Yo Si Puedo," or "Yes I Can."

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Becoming a reference of human development programs in the Brazilian region, the MST developed the project with the support of state authorities. According to official estimates, about 1 million people — about 16 percent of Maranhao's population — are illiterate.

MST leader Simone Pereira commented that this kind of project represented “one step closer toward the emancipation of the working class and the campesinos,” adding that the students also debated other issues like food, gender violence, and equal access to education.

More than 10 million people in around 30 countries have now learned to read and write through the Cuban program. "Yo Si Puedo" currently operates in around 30 countries, ranging from Venezuela, Nigeria, Spain and Australia. Many countries that have used the program have seen illiteracy rates fall dramatically.

The program uses audiovisual tools and innovative techniques to teach students how to read and write quickly, according to advocates of the course. The program is adapted specifically to the geographic areas where it is implemented. Local vocabulary is also used.

One of the biggest international supporters of "Yo Si Puedo," Venezuela, saw massive results from the program, where tens of thousands of people have been educated under the initiative. The administration of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez implemented the program in 2003, and by 2005 UNESCO declared the country illiteracy-free.

Cuba itself has one of the highest rates of literacy in Latin America, at around 99.8 percent, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.