A LITERACY PROJECT FOR MAYA WOMEN IN THE HIGHLANDS OF CHIAPAS

The situation of indigenous women in Chiapas is one of extreme poverty, malnutrition, disease, and death at an early age. They are the most discriminated social sector in Mexico, with their culture, identity and gender negated by the society at large. Most indigenous women never have the opportunity to attend school and cannot read, write or communicate in Spanish.

To address this problem, and at the request of the community, Cloudforest Initiatives started a project in basic education for organized Maya-Tzotzil women of Magdalenas de la Paz in the highlands of Chiapas. We have received a grant to carry on this project. Although organized collectively, the women of Magdalenas lack the communication skills to fully participate in the larger political/social organization. The women's education project will help these women acquire the communication skills, encourage their participation and voice, as well as it will affirm their identity and the important role that women play in the community and Indian culture. The basic women's education project consists of Tzotzil/Spanish literacy program, as well as courses in a variety of topics. The program involves developing a new curriculum directed at the needs of these women, working with a facilitator and four education community promoters. Forty women will benefit from the six month program, which started this summer and will finish in December.

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The objectives of the women's education program are: To develop women's oral communications skills in Tzotzil and in Spanish and to encourage their participation and voice in assemblies and meetings; to develop women's reading and writing skills in Tzotzil and Spanish; to develop women's understanding of themselves and their families, their community, region and the world with courses in the areas of women's health, medicinal plants, women's rights, productive projects, household economy, role of women in community life, storytelling, community resources, political analysis, child development, reproductive rights, and revolutionary laws of women; to encourage and affirm women's participation in their organization and collective projects; to accompany women in their work, affirming their central role in the organization, collective projects, and community.

Here is a report of what we have done so far: After several meetings between community representatives with general authorities, and with the women themselves, the project was approved and ready to start. The 40 women that will benefit from this program are members of the autonomous collective organization. They have never received instruction in reading-writing in Spanish or in Tzotzil. For the most part, they do not speak any Spanish, either. Four young women were elected as education promoters. The only qualifications are that they have finished their elementary school, can satisfactorily read and write in Spanish, and do some reading-writing in Tzotzil, and that they are bilingual in their oral skills.

The four education promoters received a training workshop with basic teaching technics and basic skills on how to prepare and begin their teaching. Materials and the educational booklet, titled "Freedom, The Voice of Women", was developed by a Mexican non-profit organization, the Center for Women's Research and Action (CIAM). This booklet was developed specifically for indigenous Tzotzil women who are members of autonomous collectives. The program and booklet have been successfully used in women's literacy programs in northern Chiapas and with Tzotzil women living in San Cristobal. Literacy classes are two hours twice a week. Forty women showed up to the first class in spite of the hard rain that afternoon. They were all excited to learn to write their names, draw a picture of themselves and learn to read, write and pronounce the vowels.