Global Literacy Matters

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...

According to UNESCO, “Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.” Literacy is linked with socio-economic progress and is no longer only about the basic technical skills of reading and writing. Take, for example, women in the fishing village of Tanjung Benoa, Indonesia, who recently participated in financial literacy training to improve their skills as the finance manager in their families. The training included simple but crucial tips on financial literacy in an attempt to combat the economic and social challenges the residents face daily, including a lack of understanding on money management and limited access to information. Standard Chartered Bank and the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry organized the training. The bank has conducted training programs and financial discussions for more than 500 female microentrepreneurs throughout ...

The Gender Statistics in South Africa study revealed that South African men are overall economically better off than South African women. South African men have higher annual expenditures, lower unemployment rates, and longer life expectancies. “Even in death, the registration of women who have died is much lower compared to the registration of dead men. That happens because there is nothing to inherit from a woman and a lot to inherit from a man,” said statistician-general Pali Hehohla. The inequality between South African men and women is even more apparent in the black population. The extensive inequality gap between the black and white populations is stemmed from the South African apartheid that existed from 1948 to 1991. Black men and women were forced to live in overcrowded townships and had poorly funded schools. Due to poor educations and oppression, black South African women have the lowest employment rate of 30.8% while white men have the highest at 72.6%. Learners ...

Dear Friends, Today in Egypt, more than 12 million people cannot read or write—nearly 28 percent of the total population. Poor quality education, poverty, and the high costs of education contribute to the problem of low literacy in Egypt. Rural Egyptians have relocated to one part of the city—the tenement section of Old Cairo—trying to escape poverty. But some residents live without electricity, drinkable water, or health clinics. Parents who cannot afford school fees, books, or clothes for all of their children send only their sons to school, while their daughters are left at home. As a result, low literacy among women is one of the major challenges facing the local community. And in this difficult setting, women are especially vulnerable, putting at risk their health and well-being. Anba Moussa Al-Aswad Association (ANBA) , ProLiteracy’s partner program in the area, is trying to work to change that. Through literacy classes that teach reading, writing, and math, women and...

Today's story comes to us from one of our partners in China, Association for the Rural Development of Yilong County (ARDY) “We never starved, but it was always a struggle to make ends meet,” said Yurong Xu as she reflected on her life, staring off into the mountains lined with rice paddies and corn fields that surround her home. In 1998, Yurong Xu’s life very much reflected that of a typical poor Chinese family in rural China. Living in the small village of Zhouhe, she farmed the household plot while caring for both her two boys and her elderly father-in-law. Her husband, Mr. Zhao, had left years before in order to search for work in the cities to support the family. With only a small plot of land, the household largely depended on the small remittances sent back from Mr. Zhao. That year, the Association for the Rural Development of Yilong County (ARDY) came to her village to discuss its literacy and micro-credit programs at a village meeting. Hearing ARDY staff discuss its simple ...

The following story comes from one of our partners in Ecuador. Sofia’s story is one of our highlights from the financial literacy classes we are supporting in Latin America. Sofia has always loved sewing, but never imagined how important her skills would be until her husband decided to abandon the family. The only way to feed her two children was to start a business. She had no experience or education, and her husband had told her she was worthless. In spite of her fears, she knew she had to move forward. She considered her sewing skills and looked at the local market. She noticed that vendors in the market stalls were doing a good business selling bed sheets, but few were selling sheets with patterns aimed at children. She thought of an idea that would use her skills. She started very small and put in long hard hours on a borrowed sewing machine. She bought some fabric with patterns her children liked, such as Superman and Sponge Bob. People soon started buying her sheets. Sofia put h...

Literacy Highlights in 2011 Dear Readers, 2011 has certainly been an exciting year as we worked to advance literacy both here in the United States and around the world! As we count down the days to the New Year, we would like to highlight some of our favorite stories about how literacy has empowered adult learners and their families. Please join us every day over the next 15 days as we share a new story celebrating the power of literacy in transforming lives and communities during 2011! The following story comes from one of our partners in Egypt, Coptic Organization for Services and Training (COST). "My name is Teresa Abdo Amin. After investing in basic education, I found no job waiting for me at Al Azhary village. I was told there aren’t enough jobs for men, much less a woman! COST offered a first aid course that was very good; the participants were friendly and welcomed me. We had many lessons. We began using ProLiteracy’s manual, "Good Health Begins at Home." ...

We at ProLiteracy are proud to announce that Dr. Tandiar Samir will be receiving the Ann C. Michel award this year on behalf of two programs she started in Egypt, The Association of ANBA Mussah El-Asswad (ANBA) and Tadros El Meshreky Association for Social Services (TEM). The Ann C. Michel award is presented at ProLiteracy's National Conference to an outstanding partner that works on behalf of women. Program Founder Dr. Tandiar Samir, is a remarkable woman who has been a passionate advocate on behalf of women in Egypt for over 30 years. In spite of discrimination and political unrest these two organizations have consistently advanced literacy within the context of three just causes - women’s rights, democracy, and Christian-Muslim collaboration. We celebrate with Dr. Tandiar Samir the many advances women have made in Egypt this past year and consistently through organizations like ANBA and TEM. Tadros El Meshreky Association (TEM) was created to address the education, he...