Using Technology to Promote Miskitu Education, Culture, Art, and Ancestral Practices
Education Municipio Puerto Cabeza
Cultural preservation in Miskitu indigenous communities is an issue due to emigration, globalization, poverty and indigence, in conjunction with very elevated rates of unemployment and precarious employment among indigenous people in their home communities, among other factors. All of this has resulted in losses in cultural identity, language, foodways, ancestral practices, songs, dances, stories, poetry, legends, etc. From this perspective, the Promoskitia Foundation proposes to continue promoting education articulated with cultural preservation and ancestral traditions in schools for the next five years from 2021 to 2026 focusing on young Miskitus in elementary and secondary schools and universities.
A. Student Scholarship Program 2005 - 2010
Economic management of educational training processes for low-income adolescents and youth of the indigenous communities in Puerto Cabeza municipio RAAN
For two years, scholarships were provided to 150 poor students from various communities to attend primary and secondary school in Puerto Cabezas (Bilwi), in the amount of $20 a month. PMFN received funds from Amigos y Hermanos de Nicaragua and the parishioners of Dolores Catholic Church in Austin Texas. PMFN administered the scholarships in partnership with St. Peter Catholic Parish, based in Bilwi. Many of the students finished their schooling. After two years, we shifted our focus to training programs for secondary teachers in three recently opened schools.
B. Teacher Training Programs 2012 - 2014
The Ministry of Education of Nicaragua (MINED) authorized secondary school (or junior high) programs in some communities near Puerto Cabezas. However, the teachers assigned to the schools were not fully qualified to teach secondary-level subject matter. PMFN picked three communities, Santa Marta, Auhya Pihni and Sisin, and, for four consecutive years, provided training for their secondary school teachers. The goal was to enhance the quality of education that these teachers would provide to their students. The testimonies of the teachers, parents, and students demonstrate that the program was a total success. The project benefitted 30 teachers and 466 students.
Agradacimiento por parte de los docents de Santa Marta, Auhya Pihni y Sisin, RAAN, Nicaragua
Costa Caribe de Nicaragua-Santa Marta, 23 del mes de Julio de año 2020
Presidente de la fundación Pro-Moskitia de Nicaragua
Patrocinadores de las capacitaciones en los años 2013 & 2014
Su despacho
Estimado Padre Peter;
Por medio de la siguiente nosotros los docents de educación secundaria regular de las comunidades indigenas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense (Santa Marta, Auhya Pihni y Sisin) en nombre de todas y todos agradecemos por facilitarnos las capacitaciones brindadas por ustedes como aporte para el mejoramiento de una excelente calidad de ensañanza aprendizaje para nosotros estudiantes y para los docents. Ya que fue de gran ayuda para nosotros las y los docentes que enfrentamos con estudiantes multilingüe en nuestras aulas de clases.
Sin más a que agregar nos despedimos de ustedes.
De antemano agradeciendo por sus colaboraciones con nosotros. Gracias.
Atentamente:
Prof. Horarcio Diego Darce
Prof. Delia Martínez Llanes
Prof. Mainor Padilla Morales
Prof. Listón Chow Benneth
Prof. Pedro Rafael Mairena
Prof. Camilio Ocampa Rivera
Prof. Andy Hernandez Saiman
C. Culture and Education 2013 - 2014
Miskitus are not exempt from the impacts of globalization and internal and international migration. These trends represent a challenge for Miskitu culture. This program was designed to reinforce Miskitu culture by promoting its importance to young people, and educating them about their language, their history and their culture.
D. 2018 and 2019
We focused in two projects:
The Rais & Bins project - Acción Cultural de Rescate de los Pueblos Indígenas y afrodescendientes de la Costa Caribe Norte de Nicaragua took place in the city of Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas) in collaboration with the collective of indigenous women Mujeres Creativs - Lapta Yula. The project involved the creation of a cultural movement of young artists involved in the promotion of indigenous and Afrodiscendent culture, in environmental awareness, in community practices that invest in young people and their abilities, and in activities of intercultural education and the development of an identity that is open to challenges presented by a fragmented society paralyzed by the intensification of social problems of the Autonomous Region of the North Caribbean Coast.
E. Scholarship
In addition, we offered 35 scholarship for elementary and middles schools and for students in the University in Managua and Puerto Cabezas.
