On July 13 the CISPES Literacy Brigade  held a press conference to talk about their experiences during the brigade.

Members of the brigade told the the press that they have seen the The National Literacy Program working miracles, from the big picture of reducing the illiteracy rate in the country by 4%, to the individual level when they saw individuals who previously could not read or write  proudly write their names after just 5 weeks of instruction.

They also emphasized that the literacy program is doing much more than just teaching people to read and write. “Teaching literacy is a form of constructing consciousness. Literacy allows people to make decisions about their lives and their communities, and it opens space for personal and social change,” said Miriam Oziel Literacy Brigade participant.  Read the full press statement here.

The press conference was widely covered in El Salvador.  Read coverage by the the Diario CoLatino and The Ministry of Education (both in Spanish).