In Panama, Guna Women Get Second Chance at Literacy through Write Your Future Initiative

In Panama’s indigenous Guna communities, women like 35-year-old Marianela Martinez favor the Guna language at home and in their daily interactions. They have limited abilities to speak, read, or write in Spanish, keeping them mostly confined to their small community.

Marianela completed only three years of elementary education and never finished learning to read or write. As her children advanced in school, she realized she needed to give literacy a second chance.

“I got used to not understanding the words. I didn’t like the feeling, but [thought] it was too late to go back to school,” she said. “I couldn’t see what [my daughter] needed to read, the words did not make sense to me.”

Marianela enrolled in the Write Your Future program, a partnership initiative of Lancôme and ProLiteracy built on our literacy for social change model, which structures lessons in the context of regional and local challenges.

During the first year of this project in Panama, tutors were trained to provide Guna women like Marianela with foundational Spanish reading and writing instruction using our Leamos digital curriculum. Because many Guna women lack the transportation, confidence, and economic support to attend literacy lessons far from their communities, tutors often provide services right in the students’ homes.

In Marianela’s case, tutors came to her house two or three days a week to work with her personally, one of the things she liked most about the program. Through her work, she’s gained confidence—even grabbing a pencil was stressful for her before. But she’s making progress.

Like other women in the program, Marianela is proudly starting to read words and short sentences.

For so long, the rest of the world seemed very distant to Marianela. Now, she’s convinced she wants to continue her learning adventure.