ACTIVITIES IN URUGUAY

RIO BRANCO - Cerro Largo Province, URUGUAY

Lira Posadas, political woman, journalist, director of Rio Branco Women's Center, a woman who also knew how to find the opportunities for lifelong learning, promoted in her native city of Rio Branco, located in the border between Uruguay and Brazil, the World Record Attempt at the Largest Lesson. Approx. 1,000 persons from high school, the Vocational Training Institute, as well as primary schools and kindergartens participated in this simultaneous class. The local television network, three local radios and the local newspapers -Diario Atlas and La Tribuna- covered the event.

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MELO - Cerro Largo Province, URUGUAY

In Melo, capital city of Cerro Largo province, Hortencia Coronel, director of the Institute of Formation of Educators, coordinated this lesson which took place in Constitution Square (downtown). They received the support of the authorities and the media, as well as all civil society's organization. 1,340 registered persons participated in the class.



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JOSE ENRIQUE RODO - Soriano Province, URUGUAY

Dora Gronros, a woman who knows the meaning of the opportunity of educating herself in any moment of her life, being herself a rural woman that was able to attend only until second grade and had afterwards the opportunity of participating in a learning and working space in a women's handcraft cooperative, promoted and coordinated the actions in the World Record Attempt at the Largest Lesson in her small community. She is a rural women leader and she currently presides a children center (kinder) in the village of José Enrique Rodó, Soriano, Uruguay, as she considers education as basic for the development of women, girls and boys, and society in general. The lesson was taught by a community teacher with over 100 girls and boys. In high school all professors taught class from 1100 to 1200 am Uruguay time, as well as in other small communities like Florencio Sanchez and Dolores.

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MONTEVIDEO, Capital City of URUGUAY

Approximately 60 girls and boys, 11 and 12 years old, students of the J.F. Kennedy School, Montevideo, Uruguay, participated in the World Record Attempt at the Largest Lesson in History in the campaign for girls' and women's right to education. Alejandra Scampini, REPEM, coordinated the lesson. The interest of everyone present was demonstrated by the concentration and silence, thinking, evaluating the information, and many, many hands up to question, give opinions and tell their experiences.

This lesson was full of joy because we were able to reflect upon, and above all, to listen to the new generations that exchange opinions and question gender discrimination, while trying to explain the causes in a mature way, with ingenuousness and conviction.

It meant a great emotion for us all to know that we will be protagonists of a global action to remind the governments that there is a signed agreement to be fulfilled by 2005 everyone has the right to education.

" And only the sixth grades have to break the record?" "How are we going to do it?" says a girl at the back end of the room.

NO, fortunately, in many parts of the world there are many persons speaking on the same subject that we are, at the same time, and in Uruguay not only in Montevideo, the capital city, but also in other provinces of the country.

The faces light up and enthusiasm grows we can make it!!!!

"And to whom must we send the fax with our signatures?" "And where is the organization responsible for this?" "And when are we going to know whether we broke the record?"

Shared responsibility, because inequities in our country and in the world are very large, and all of us must work to change this.

The teacher asked them "According to you, which are the possible reasons for the fact that so many girls in the world do not attend school?"

The girls and boys speak up