The youngest of four siblings, Jaritza grew up in a small home in rural Nicaragua. She loved school; her eyes always glittered when her teacher read stories aloud to the classroom. There was just one problem: Jaritza couldn’t read. 

At 10 years old and in 3rd grade, Jaritza longed to understand the strings of letters she would see in her school books. During class, she struggled to read in front of her classmates, leaving her feeling embarrassed and frustrated. Jaritza dreamed of one day having the confidence and ability to read the stories that made her heart come alive.

Jaritza is not alone in her struggle to read. Globally, there’s a learning and reading crisis: among children who are attending school, more than half will not learn to read. Compounding the issue, schools in rural Nicaragua are often overcrowded, students fall sick easily and are malnourished, and teachers are ill-equipped in their training to support those children who are behind in their reading skills. Without access to quality education, many children are left with few options, and their illiteracy contributes to a future of extreme poverty. 

Jaritza was on such a path — statistically, it was unlikely she would finish school if she could not learn to read. But then, with the help of Project Alianza community educators, Jaritza’s path shifted, and she started a journey to literacy and a brighter future. 

Literacy Accelerates With the Help of Teaching-at-the-Right-Level Programs

Project Alianza’s Teaching-at-the-Right-Level program provides the extra educational support children need. Through hiring and training local women as educators, the program is able to accelerate local literacy rates and offer guidance to young students to live healthier, more successful lives. Working alongside public school teachers and after school, these community educators teach children how to read using the proven, groundbreaking method known as Teach-at-the-Right-Level.

Teaching-at-the-Right-Level accelerates literacy by grouping students not by their age, but by their foundational literacy skills, making it possible for older students who have fallen behind to catch up to their peers. 

Community educators dedicate time to basic skill development in each group and regularly check in on each student’s progress. Outside of this time, Alianza provides materials to students to extend their education at home. This low-tech digital content delivered over the radio, called "Aprende dónde estás,” stimulates learning by infusing the home with offline learning materials so students can practice and deepen their literacy skills outside the classroom. Students can interact with technology and learn from home without WiFi or electricity. 

Over time, with focused time and attention inside and outside of the classroom, and teaching adapted to each individual’s current reading level, students improve over just a matter of months. In fact, of the 3rd and 4th graders receiving this instruction from Project Alianza, 78% have successfully caught up and achieved basic literacy skills, in contrast to the regional average of a mere 40-60%. 

The Teach-at-the-Right-Level program doesn’t only focus on literacy. Instruction is coupled with personal growth and enrichment activities — known as WASH programs — centered on hygiene skills and health access within the school so students can be successful in all areas of life as they learn. WASH programs seek to improve student health, teaching students to care for their whole person. By gaining basic nutrition, hygiene, and safety skills, students are able to focus better on their learning.

With Support from an Alianza Community Educator, Jaritza Gains Confidence 

Jaritza finally had the tools she needed to succeed. Supported by a local Community Educator along the way and provided with resources and encouragement, she was able to develop her reading and writing skills. 

For the past two years, she has been strengthening her literacy skills from home by participating in “Aprende dónde estás,” Alianza’s literacy accelerator series given over the radio. Within a few years, Jaritza began to comprehend those strings of letters in her school books as words, and then full sentences. Over time, she could read fluently.

Then the day came when she knew it was time to confront her fears. Jaritza stood at her desk in front of her room full of classmates and read an entire story for her classroom.

“That day,” shares Jaritza, “I lost my fear and now I read with confidence.”

Jaritza continues her literacy growth today. Now in secondary school and reading above her grade level, she was accepted into Katie’s Fund, a supplemental educational program supporting girls through secondary school by providing their families cash assistance to help cover education costs. In addition to cash support, Jaritza has the mentorship of local women to help her establish life-long goals. 

At 14 years old, Jaritza’s future is bright, with dreams of graduating high school, attending university, having a professional career, and giving back to her community.

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