Global Literacy Matters

Michael Power, from County Tipperary in Ir eland, had had enough. In his late 30s, he had trouble taking notes at meetings, filling out forms at work, and worse, he could not understand what the doctors were saying when his baby daughter fell ill. Take a moment to read this inspiring article from the Irish Independent News , where Power describes how he transformed his life by taking - and passing - his Junior and Leaving Certificates. Despite Power's success story, Ireland continues to face several challenges in the realm of adult education. A staggering 500,000 adults were at or below literacy level 1 of a five level scale in Ireland ( International Adult Literacy Survey ). And four out of 10 people in Ireland have poor health literacy skills . Hopefully Michael's story will serve as inspiration for other success stories out of Ireland.

Notes from the Field: Quito, Ecuador – Alesha Anderson, International Program Manager I am now back in the United States after spending one week in the beautiful Andean Mountains of Ecuador. ProLiteracy is expanding our literacy and micro finance work in South America. We have been working on a financial literacy program with FINCA, an international micro finance institution dedicated to alleviating poverty by providing micro loans for individuals to start small businesses. My trip to Ecuador kicked off with a literacy and micro finance pilot program with three of FINCA Ecuador’s village banks around the outskirts of Quito. ProLiteracy started this program with FINCA El Salvador in 2009, and we are now replicating the model by actively working with FINCA Haiti, FINCA Costa Rica, and FINCA Ecuador. We have found that many people who take out micro loans often face many challenges due in part to low literacy levels–this, in addition to social issues in their communities, makes it hard fo...

David Harvey President and CEO of ProLiteracy Why have I bec ome so passionate about literacy in Colombia and, specifically, in Medellin? You won't believe what I saw. See the pictures posted here: Medelli n, through a unique partnership between the public and private sectors (each pay 50 percent of the bill), built seven "park libraries" in the lowest income neighborhoods in the city’s steep hills. Through a combined planning process that included education, transportation, cultural activities, and libraries, residents of the neighborhoods were engaged in designing for themselves the library parks and the programs they wanted to see put in place. Then, the city built a cable car system with suspended gondolas that links the libraries and steep hill neighborhoods with the city's metro system. Evaluations are ongoing, but literacy rates are up! And parent engagement and adult programs are flourishing. And the neighborhoods are being transformed as economic opportuniti...

By David Harvey Presiden t and CEO of ProLiteracy What about literacy in Colombia, you might ask? After all, ProLiteracy has a history of almost half a century of supporting native-language literacy programs that reach some of the most disenfranchised in Colombia: those displaced by violence and warfare; indigenous tribes, particularly women; coffee growers; and former FARC guerillas who through demilitarized zones, participate in literacy programs as part of an effort to integrate into mainstream society. The grassroots and indigenous programs we have historically supp orted-- Alfabetización Pue blorrico, Centro Laubach de la Educatión Popular Básica de Adultos (CLEBA), Fundación Bienestar Humano, and Fundación Juan Tama -- do tremendous work every day to reach those most in need and to provide economic opportunities in what is now a booming economy. Last year, Colombia's economy grew by 7 percent, probably an undercount since the country was hit by historical rains that damaged...

By David Harvey President and CEO of ProLiteracy Greetings from Colombia, a country that in important ways has transformed itself from a politically violent era dominated by guerilla warfare, assassinations, and drug cartel violence. I’ve traveled through what Colombians describe as the "jewel" and "heart" of Colombia—Cartegena—to the old coastal city of Santa Marta, and on to the sophisticated, modern city in a huge valley, Medellin. I am awed by the openness, overwhelming hospitality, passion, history, and love of country that is represented by Colombians everywhere. No where have I seen such fierce pride in their city as the Colombians I got to know in Medellin. Perhaps this is because of how the city roared back after an era of terrible violence orchestrated by the infamous drug cartel baron, Pablo Escobar, killed in 1993 in an infamous raid in the Los Olivos section of Medellin. Or, more likely, it’s the unique history of the people from Medellin who pride the...