Happy International Women's Day

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ProLiteracy celebrates women around the world today who are changing their lives and communities through literacy!

The majority of our programs internationally serve women. Since 1991 ProLiteracy’s partner programs have provided effective literacy instruction to more than 2,000,000 of the world’s disadvantaged women. Through literacy our partners help women like Nang Tat break out of traditional cultural practices that don’t allow them to pursue opportunities for education.

Nang Tat was one of the first young woman in her village to complete a literacy course and be trained as a teacher. She is from the Kavet ethnic minority group, in the remote Lamuey Oh Village of Ratanakiri Province in northeastern Cambodia. Kavet women are extremely marginalized—many are forced to remain unemployed or to work as laborers in rice fields earning low wages.

After learning to read and write, Tat felt it was important to help other women in her village learn how to read and write in their native language.  She participated in a training course to become a literacy teacher, and later went on to attend a math/numeracy training to help launch the first women’s math classes in her village. The women were highly motivated to learn basic numeracy and marketing skills, so that they could get fair prices for their agricultural products in the marketplace.

Today Tat has is teaching math to 30 pre-literate students in the new math classes launched in her village.  Most of them are married women who do not know how to count and have never learned to read.



Comments

  1. UnknownMay 31, 2013 at 7:10 PM

    It is great to see Nang Tat benefit from global effects of education and changing her life through literacy. The separation from long-standing culture barriers has played a major role in preventing women from advancing through education. Proliteracy has been consistent by helping over 2,000,000 receive an education. I see that Nang Tat is teaching in her village. I wonder if the potential is here to allow Nang Tat and others like her to share education in other parts of her country beyond her village?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 10, 2013 at 10:06 AM

    From
    Arlene Coughlin
    It was a wonderful story to read. It is inspiring to hear about people who are willing to accept challenges to better themselves and others. A really nice story.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJune 14, 2013 at 11:59 PM

    I second the sentiments of both Velma and Arlene regarding the positive influence of Nang Tat's example. I am curious how she came to learn about Proliteracy's mission (and opportunity) so that she was able to participate?

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJune 21, 2013 at 10:40 PM

    Arlene and Kara
    I a amazed at the quality in individuals that are willing to help others and share their educational experiences. Great story!!!

    ReplyDelete

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