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This article comes from a period of research that seeks to understand how the main actors of a non-formal literacy program for young people and adults in a rural community in Paraguay shape their knowledge, from their senses of being a woman, a man, and their daily practices. Considering the tensions resulting from traditional feminine and masculine roles, which make their experiences more complex, especially for women, mothers, and heads of households, knowing their perceptions makes it possible to support and improve the literacy process. With this aim, we used life stories, a qualitative methodology, in-depth qualitative interviews, and the contribution of the interviewees to the interviewer. The main findings show that the prime factors of the program were: the inclusive educational processes, the active participation of the literacy learners, the capacity of the program to involve various perspectives, the figure of the literacy educator, the approach to topics of interest, and their relevance for the literacy learners, as well as support received by the participants in their homes, especially women. The challenge is to develop comprehensive and flexible literacy education policies and to focus on the empowerment and emancipation of young people and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]