Interview with Sandinista teacher and former regional coordinator of the Literacy Crusade.

Women were the building block of the Sandinista Literacy Crusade. Today, they make up 60% of Sandinista teachers and continue to perform the difficult and necessary task of educating rural workers. Also, numerous non-governmental agencies run by women and for women now exist. These organizations focus on women's education, reproductive health, family assistance and sexual education. "Sí, Mujer" ("Yes, Women,") is one of these organizations.

Education was a key element in the Sandinista revolution. International attention was drawn to the Literacy Crusade, which took place from March 23 to August 23, 1980. It was based on Brazilian sociologist, Paulo Freire's premier book, El amanecer del pueblo. The U.S. media claimed the crusade indoctrinated the peasant population, but it also received international recognition for the pedagogical methods it employed. For five months, the new administration and twenty-five national organizations set aside other responsibilities to collaborate with the crusade. Ernesto Cardenal, the program director, established a National Literacy Commission with representatives from groups as diverse as the School of Radio Broadcasts and the Roman Catholic Church.

Stories were common of women, who traveled for hours to donate their meager savings. Children in small villages were seen with tin cans, collecting money for the cause. Most funding, however, came from Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and all over the world. In the universities, students had compulsory duties to serve as brigadistas. Urban youth - 55,000 in total - went to rural areas to educate the peasants. Nicaragua was awarded the United Nations' Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization's Grand Prize for Literacy. Ernesto Cardenal was nominated for the Nobel peace prize.

Continue! Listen to this teacher's perspective on the current state of the Nicaraguan education system. Hear how women play an essential role in the field of education and are fighting to reform educational policy in Nicaragua.