In August 2009, Nicaragua was officially declared to be a
literate nation! That definition means a measurement of less than
5% illiteracy nationwide. What a huge change in just the past few
years! In Ciudad Sandino, there are
still shortages of educational materials and salaries for teachers, but
since education was declared free again in 2007,
many many more children are now attending school.
Why then an emphasis on education?
The education focus of the CDCA's work is mostly towards people living in the
"First World". Volunteers who come to Nicaragua return home with
their eyes opened to the realities of living in a developing
nation. Hopefully they return home with a broader outlook, a
sense of world involvement and connectedness, motivated to live in
response to that new larger awareness. This education doesn't
come just from the work of the CDCA, but rather from meeting and
getting to know Nicaraguans, becoming friends and hearing their
stories, learning from their perspectives and experiences.
The CDCA currently provides outreach and education and mobilizes resources by:
And within the local work of the CDCA, education is provided in