Newton-San Juan del Sur Sister City Project (Free High School for Adults)

CONTACT:

c/o Margaret M. Gullette, 68 Pembroke Street
Newton, MA 02458
617-965-2164
www.newtonsanjuan.org

Dr. Rosa Elena Bello (Nicaragua), Director of Programs

DESCRIPTION:

United Nations’ conferences have taught that when women are educated, positive indices—e.g., health, family income, citizenship, etc.—go up, and negative indices—e.g., infant and maternal mortality, orphanage, unwanted births, domestic violence and sexual abuse, etc.—go down. Nicaragua is nearly as poor as Haiti. In 1989 the City of Newton established a “Sister City” relationship with San Juan del Sur, a dreadfully poor seaport of 18,000. Various projects ensued, especially in health care and education. In 1998 a phenomenally successful women’s literacy program was launched, in which 3 college-educated instructors trained 33 women with 6th-grade diplomas to teach their neighbors to read, focusing on words of practical value; by 2001, 246 students graduated, of whom 215 were granted sixth-grade diplomas by the Ministry of Education. In 2002 they opened a Free High School for Adults that today has 400 students, men and women, in both urban and rural classes. This is highly cost-effective—the total budget is $28,000; tuition is $70 per year; $125 pays the Computer School teacher’s salary; $250 supplies paper for seven weeks. The returns on these investments are, of course, beyond price—for both benefactors and beneficiaries, we hope including you.

(2004: INTERNATIONAL)