UNESCO Invites ProLiteracy South Africa Partner to Paris

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Operation Upgrade is the oldest literacy NGO in South Africa. It was founded in 1966 with the active leadership of Frank Laubach, founder of Laubach Literacy International. Based in the city of Durban, Operation Upgrade emphasizes native language and English literacy within the context of varied community and institutional structures, including squatter slums, rural villages, impoverished towns, and workplaces.


Operation Upgrade teaches adults to read in Zulu, Venda, Sepedi, Setswana, Xitsonga, Sesotho, and English. With the help of a growing network of 5,000 trained facilitators throughout the country, the organization battles the problems of poverty, malnutrition, and HIV/AIDS through literacy development.UNESCO has invited Operation Upgrade (OU),’s historic partner in South Africa, to participate in the Global Action Week 2009 (April 20 to 26) in Paris. Pinky Peterson (Itumeleng Lebajoa) , the KwaNibela

Programme Manager, and Eunice Ngema, an OU literacy learner, will be presenting the story to Ambassadors and Ministers of Education from around the world.The story of a poor woman named Thoko Ngema in KwaNibela and her introduction to literacy classes will be included in UNESCO’s “Big Book.”

The story narration and the international debate on developing a literate environment are part of Global Action Week to draw attention to Education For All. Operation Upgrade hopes to highlight the importance of adult literacy as part of global education.

Since its inception in 1966, OU has achieved many major milestones in adult literacy in the region. In September Operation Upgrade won the 2008 UNESCO Prize for Literacy.

ProLiteracy applauds Operation Upgrade’s accomplishments and is happy that we could assist OU with their endeavors to empower individuals through its adult basic education work.

For more information - The Big Read: Global Action Week 2009 Puts Spotlight on Literacy: http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=58606&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

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