In Bolivia, literacy training makes a profound difference

Anacleta Mamani, 71, poses for a photo after receiving her certificate during an adult literacy graduation ceremony in Pucarani, Bolivia, on Dec. 4, 2022. Anacleta Mamani has no teeth, but a happy smile: She’s learned to read and write at the age of 71, and now feels so empowered, she wants to run a road race in her Indigenous community in the Bolivian highlands near La Paz. Mamami is among more than 20,000 senior citizens, mainly women from low-income rural communities, who have learned to read and write this year as part of “Bolivia Reads,” a government- “I don’t want to die without knowing how to read and write,” said Mamami, who learned to do both in Aymara, her mother tongue. Thanks to “Bolivia Reads,” that’s been reduced to 2.7%, making Bolivia one of the region’s countries with good levels of literacy, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. These are determined learners, but the lessons have come awfully late for some, and they all need the government’s help, said Carlos Montes, an adult education teacher.