María Quispe Ito is a 51-year-old artisan who knits hats, gloves and booties with sheep's wool and sells them in the Plaza de Armas of her district Coata, in the Puno region. As a child she was forced to work, so she was taken away from school by her parents when she was very young.
When she grew up and was able to become independent, she looked for a way to study, but did not find an offer that would allow her to combine her studies with work and taking care of her children, so she resigned herself to not learning to read and write, and to depend on her husband to do the accounts and place orders for her small business. Like Maria, there are 763 million illiterate people in the world (UNESCO); in Peru 1.3 million are illiterate (INEI).
Maria was with her husband Victor Mamani, one Sunday in March, when a report was broadcast on national television that told the story of women in rural areas of Cajamarca who learned to read and write using the FOCUS app, so that after many years she found the opportunity she was waiting for to access education. Victor not only arranged with the Dispurse Foundation for Maria's access to the literacy program, he also decided to dedicate a few hours after his day as a cab driver to help her in her learning process. Maria is happy because she is learning and because she will finally not ask for help to manage her business, now she dreams of expanding it and exporting her products.
The event organized by Es Hoy, DVV International and Dispurse Foundation highlighted the joint efforts of companies, municipalities, educational institutions and civil society to close the educational gaps in youth and adults. In a context where 1 in 3 people in Peru have not completed their basic education, this event highlighted the importance of education as a tool for transformation.
In commemoration of International Literacy Day, Dispurse Foundation joined the awareness parade held in the city of Cajamarca. This event brought together students, teachers, organizations and local authorities to highlight the importance of literacy in personal and community development.
In a significant step towards the promotion of youth and adult education, Dispurse Foundation has signed a cooperation agreement with DVV International, the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association (Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband eV).