On 20 December a Cuban literacy brigade arrived in Honduras as part of a joint cooperation agreement between the educational institutions of both countries.

The Cuban brigade - which comprises of 123 professors- will help to reduce illiteracy in Honduras by rolling out the Cuban method “Yo Sí puedo” (Yes, I Can), a learning program that has taught millions of people to read and write in about 30 countries.

Former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya welcomed the Cuban professors and praised Cuba’s solidarity despite being blockade by the US government for more than six decades.

The Cuban teachers were also received by the Honduran Education Minister Daniel Esponda and Cuban Deputy Education Minister Eugenio González.

According to official data, 12% of Hondurans aged over 15 cannot read or write. President Xiomara Castro’s government aims to reduce reduce this figure to 5% in the next four years.

Yo Si Puedo

The literacy method was launched on 28 March 28 2001, after being developed by Pedagogical Sciences Doctor, Leonela Relys Díaz. She conceived it to be adapted to different social realities and languages.

The method uses numbers to stimulate the reading-writing learning process, combined with audiovisual resources, and is led by a facilitator, who transmits the knowledge. It aims to teach people to read within seven weeks.

“ Yo sí puedo” accumulates 20 adaptations, has reached countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Oceania and Europe, and there are also versions for blind, deaf and people with mild intellectual problems.