Apartado, Urabá

Background

Campesinos living in the Colombian countryside suffer from disproportionately high levels of poverty, with as much as 65 to 70 percent of the rural population living under the poverty line. In many instances, the complications of living in these areas are further exacerbated ongoing armed conflict most prevalent in Colombia’s rural areas. One contributing factor to the lingering poverty is a very high illiteracy rate. Rates of illiteracy in rural areas reach 30% (compared to 11% in urban areas).

Project

Developing Minds Foundation supports a project that promotes literacy for 650 campesino families living in the rural Apartado, Urabá municipality within the state of Antioquia. The sponsorship of this educational project, through our operating partner Secretos Para Contar, consists of assembling a group of talented writers and editing, producing and personally delivering a collection of books to families in this rural area. As a result of coordination through the local schools, the collection assists with classroom instruction as well as at-home use.

Thanks to our collective “hands-on” approach, we are able to provide families in very remote areas with what they need most - greater support in the development of their education.