Global Literacy Matters

A mother and baby wait to be seen at the IHI clinic in Jahtondo, Liberia. Imani House International (IHI), ProLiteracy’s long-time partner in Liberia, has served women and their families since 1986 by providing access to health and education services in the midst of civil war, extreme poverty, and now during the health crisis that country is facing today with the Ebola virus. Liberian hospitals in several parts of the country lack the capacity to effectively deal with the spread of the deadly virus. Imani House International has a clinic situated about 12 miles from the capital city of Monrovia in the community of Jahtondo, and has provided medical care to people for many years in areas of maternal and child healthcare, educational talks on family planning, AIDS prevention, STDs, and sanitation. As trusted members of the Jahtondo community, the Imani House clinic staff has brought together locals and civic leaders to plan strong outreach approaches to educate the people in the ...

Around 2.9 million girls are married by the age of 15 in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, equivalent to one in eight girls in each region, according to estimates in the 2013-14 EFA Global Monitoring Report . If present trends continue, 142 million girls will be married before their 18th birthday over the next decade. That’s an average of 14.2 million girls each year. These shocking statistics mean millions of girls are robbed of their childhood and denied an education. Studies show that education empowers women to overcome discrimination. Girls and women who are educated have greater awareness about their rights and have confidence to make decisions about their lives. Studies show that girls with higher levels of schooling are less likely to marry as children. In Mozambique, some 60 percent of girls with no education are married by 18, compared to 10 percent of girls with secondary schooling and less than one percent of girls with higher education. Educating adolescent...

Lynn Curtis, ProLiteracy’s international programs advisor, recently traveled to Quito, Ecuador as one of 100 international representatives invited to observe the state/provincial elections held February 23, 2014. The National Electoral Council invited individuals representing various governmental and non-governmental institutions to participate in the electoral process to ensure a transparent and fair election. Observers traveled to all 24 provinces in the country and monitored the voting process, ballot counting, and election results. Throughout his time in Ecuador, Curtis took notes about his experiences while observing the electoral process in Ecuador: “The training was a deep dive into all the mechanics of voting and democratic processes in Ecuador,” says Curtis. “With delegations from all over the world, it was quite an impressive gathering. The National Electoral Council worked really hard to make sure the electoral process was transparent, fair, and inclusive.” Curtis w...

Rani Jha, director of the Institute, says Mithila art represents not only the artists, but other women as well. "My paintings do not only concern the position of women in Bihar, but in all of India. I show that in one of my paintings, where I show a girl reaching up and wanting to touch the moon. In education, in the corporate sector, and in athletics the rainbow of hope has risen for these women and they see that with astonishment. Decade after decade women are changing and remodeling themselves. Women who have been educated have hope, but those two generations back are cursed and weep for their pathetic plight.” Mithila painting is an ancient art form in the Likhiya, literally meaning “writing,” style. The Mithila Art Institute, located in Madhubani, India, gives uneducated and non-literate women across the entire caste spectrum in India an incredible opportunity to use their talent and create magnificent pieces. Using only ink as their tool, these women believe they are wr...

2013 is winding down. Countdowns and “top 10” lists of the year are popping up everywhere, including the Top 10 most watched YouTube videos , the Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs , and a Top 10 Everything , where you can look at 54 lists of the “bests” in 2013, developed by TIME Magazine.  This also the time for lists for the coming year, such as Best Trips 2014 or Top 10 Food Trend Predictions for 2014 . We’ve joined the trend and here’s what we’ve developed as a Top List for Literacy in both 2013 and 2014: Top Moments for Global Literacy in 2013 International Literacy Day celebrations . September 8 has been designated by UNESCO as International Literacy Day and this year’s theme was “Literacies for the 21 st Century,” reflecting the idea that literacy is no longer just knowing how to read and write, but also means having the basic education to make one capable of participating fully within society. (See more here ) The Program for International Assessment of Ad...

Education and literacy statistics are staggering—or rather, the low levels of literacy and quality education around the world. One teacher in Mexico and an educational technology professor in India, among others, are experimenting with innovative ways to address these problems, since traditional fixes (money, more teachers, etc.) are not always available. Many of ProLiteracy’s international programs use student-inspired programs, so the skills learned can be used immediately in the student’s daily life.   Not only is this useful for the adult learners who often have little time to play catch up in their education, but it is similar to how humans learn, according to recent research. According to this article , Sugata Mitra was chief scientist at a company in New Delhi, India, that trains software developers. His office was on the edge of a poor neighborhood, and on a hunch one day, he decided to put a computer into a nook in a wall separating his building from the neighborh...