Literacy is an important part of social inclusion. The consequences of illiteracy range from low self-esteem and unemployment, to poverty and poor health.

But for many in Latin America, receiving a quality education depends on where you live. One woman in Colombia has been helping literacy rates rise by advancing education in the country’s rural schools. 

This week’s Game Changer on Americas Now is the director of “Escuela Nueva” or the New School Foundation Vicky Colbert.

For children living in rural Colombia getting any kind of education was difficult if not impossible.  Often students of differing ages would have to share one school room, learning the same lessons, leading to gaps in their education.  

A few decades ago, a Colombian educator founded “Escuela Nueva” or the “New School.”  It put the students at the center of the teaching process allowing them to learn at their own level and pace.  You could call it “personalized education.”

Many other countries in the region have adopted the “New School” model and the program has gone on to help 5 million children across Latin America. 

Find out more by checking out this week’s Game Changer on Americas Now, Vicky Colbert.