Consuelo Araujo Nogués

A Colombian educator who expanded access to education for marginalized communities.

Consuelo Araujo Nogués (1910–2003) was a Colombian educator and humanitarian who dedicated her life to eradicating illiteracy. Born into a wealthy family, she used her resources to establish schools in rural and Afro-Colombian communities, founding the UNESCO-supported Instituto de Cultura y Educación in 1946. She pioneered bilingual education programs for Indigenous and Afro-Colombian students, ensuring their cultural heritage was preserved alongside formal schooling. Araujo Nogués also co-founded the UN-affiliated Latin American and Caribbean Literacy Association (1967), which reduced illiteracy rates across the region. Her advocacy led to Colombia’s 1991 Constitution mandating free education for all. Honored with the Prince of Asturias Award for Cooperation (1997), she remains a symbol of educational equity in Latin America. Though her writings are primarily in Spanish, her impact is documented in books like 《Educación y Cultura en Colombia》 (1980).