NICARAGUA

WHEREAS, the corrupt, despotic regime of Somoza has been successfully routed from Nicaragua; and

WHEREAS, years of exploitation followed by the destructive ravages of civil war have left Nicaragua in dire need of aid to repair the devastation to cities and countryside alike; and

WHEREAS, education in particular has suffered, with the government estimating nearly half of the population to be illiterate and as many as 90 percent illiterate in rural areas; and

WHEREAS, the government has embarked on a literacy campaign to upgrade the educational level of the people; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress has passed a $75 million aid package to Nicaragua:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers supports the granting of aid to Nicaragua provided that safeguards are used to insure that it reaches democratic forces there; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT support a literacy campaign in Nicaragua, but only if it is not controlled by foreign totalitarian powers like Cuba; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT cooperate in sending American teachers to Nicaragua to participate in a campaign controlled by democratic forces; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT seek ways to assist other democratic Latin American and Central American teachers in helping in Nicaragua.