Alfalit International, Inc.
Bolivia
Alfalit is a non-profit educational organization that
offers literacy and basic education programs in 25
countries. Founded in 1961, the program has changed
the lives of nearly 7 million previously illiterate adults
through a simple, cost-effective teaching method that
relies on a cadre of trained community volunteers.
A Bolivian mother reads to her infant son.
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Students enrolled in the program usually reach an
initial level of literacy within six months and, in the
process, gain self-esteem and a desire to improve
the quality of their lives. Key factors in the success of
this model program are strong personnel and financial
management, easy-to-replicate curriculum materials,
local in-kind contributions, and recruitment/retention
of volunteers.
Bolivia, however, faces special challenges. Although
almost all students want to become literate in Spanish,
only 13 percent of Alfalit’s students speak Spanish as
their native language. Most speak Quechua (66 percent),
Guayaro (13 percent), Guarani (7 percent), or Aymara
(6 percent) in their families and communities, with few
opportunities to practice reading, writing, or speaking
Spanish on a daily basis.
Facilitators must explain each point to beginners in
their native language before communicating in Spanish.
The result is that students need about 10 months to
complete the basic literacy course in both their native
language and Spanish, with remarkable literacy
improvement rates. More than 65,000 persons, mostly
women, have completed the program since 2002.
Health issues also pose a challenge to Bolivia, where
mortality rates for mothers and their children are
significantly high and absenteeism and school dropout
rates are attributed to the lack of medical services.
Illnesses from tuberculosis, cholera, and malaria could
be easily controlled with a modest investment of
resources and prevention education. The Alfalit curriculum
draws on real world situations so that participants
can use the information to better their lives.Women
are a special focus because they are expected to take
responsibility for the care and health of their families.
Charity Navigator, a leading
NGO monitoring
group, rates Alfalit in the
highest category for organizational
capacity and efficiency,
noting that fundraising
and administration
account for less than 4 percent
of its overall budgets.
A long-term relationship
with churches has helped Alfalit expand to village and
community-based groups. The churches provide free
space for classes, and are a major source of volunteers.
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