Cubans bring democracy, one letter at a time

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: brisbanetimes

SOON after East Timor voted for independence in 1999, Cuba marshalled its forces and sent hundreds of medical instructors to the tiny country, while preparing to receive many more Timorese for training back in Cuba.

From 2004, the Cubans launched the second stage of their grassroots assault - a national adult literacy campaign.

East Timor has one of the highest rates of adult illiteracy, at more than 50 per cent. In some remote areas it is as much as 90 per cent, and this is a big factor holding back economic development and building democracy.

About 300 medical and 50 literacy instructors from Cuba now work throughout East Timor and this ground force has made inroads into the country's worst health and literacy problems. To the embarrassment of the Australian and international aid establishments, Cuba has imported a successful model of international development.



Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/cubans-bring-democracy-one-letter-at-a-time-20090904-fbh5.html

[ensho]

1. true - almost half of our highschoolers don't graduate - we could use Cuba

too

[robcon]

2. I don't get the OP. Literacy does not equal democracy.

Cubans are literate, but live in an oppressive dictatorship.

[AlphaCentauri]

3. Literacy and education give you the opportunity to select the system you'll like

ignorance on the other hand give the elites the mandate to decide what they want for you.
So actually literacy works more for freedom of choice than ignorance.