“Literacy not only changes lives, it saves them” - International Literacy Day 2014

“Literacy not only changes lives, it saves them” – International Literacy Day 2014

Adult Literacy Centre - Cameroon
Image: SI Bonaberi-Douala’s adult literacy centre, Cameroon, PFR 34067

"Literacy not only changes lives, it saves them". That’s the simple and powerful truth at the heart of UNESCO’s rallying call for greater investment and a redoubling of efforts to bring literacy to all. Literacy is an absolute necessity for achieving basic rights and when women are literate, research shows their knowledge can transform societies.

In her message for International Literacy Day (September 8th) which focuses on literacy and sustainable development, UNESCO’s Director General Irina Bokova points to the staggering fact that “the lives of more than two million children under the age of five were saved between 1990 and 2009 thanks to improvements in the education of women of reproductive age”. Just one of the known benefits of investing in education for women and girls.

While recognising that progress has been made, for Soroptimists worldwide literacy remains a global strategic priority that requires urgent international action to address one of the most persistent injusticesof our time and an intolerable obstacle to sustainable development: unequal access to education.

Today, 781 million adults worldwide cannot read, write or count according to UN figures. Two thirds of them are women. Furthermore, poor quality education is leaving a legacy of illiteracy more widespread than previously thought. More than 250 million children are unable to read a single sentence even though half of them have spent four years in school. The latest Global Monitoring Report says “it will take until 2072 for the poorest young women in developing countries to learn to read”.

As governments struggle to deliver on their promises (Millennium Development Goal 2, universal primary education by 2015) Soroptimists are mobilising through international advocacy to make sure increased commitment to education for women and girls is a key priority in future decision making. This is a particular focus area for our UN Reps to UNESCO, based in Paris. And across the world, barriers that impede women and girls gaining empowerment through literacy and contributing to sustainable development are being lifted through the dedicated progamme work of Soroptimist clubs.

Read about Soroptimist action below. Report numbers from the Programme Focus Reporting database are given for each project so that club members can login to read more about these actions.

Overcoming barriers – essential resources and safe environments

Image: Flamboyant Education Centre, a SI Port Louis project, PFR 35471

“We firmly believe that an efficient way to fight poverty is to give children the chance to decent life as soon as possible, to ensure that the children become responsible and active citizens in the future,” says Christine Rochecouste-Collet Salaün, the President of Soroptimist International, Port Louis.

SI Port Louis, Mauritius has worked with the government and businesses to set up a kindergarten and a pre-primary school in a deprived area which caters for the educational, social and nutritional needs of children who would not otherwise have been integrated into the school system. The children have gone on to settle well into primary school while 18 of the 21 mothers who were offered literacy and vocational training as part of this ongoing project completed their courses (PFR, 35471).

"I could not send my child to school before because her stomach was empty and I could not afford a school uniform. Now I send her my 2 girls of 2 and 4 to Flamboyant Education Centre with peace of mind knowing that they will be fed and educated. Besides because they are away at school, I can leave home to work. Now I work as a maid in the nearby town and bring dinner back home." says Christel, a parent using the education centre.

Often without work, education has also been the last thing considered possible for many families living in the slums of Dhaka . SI Dhamondi, Bangladesh (PFR, 35602) has arranged two years of elementary education for 40 children. Clothing, health services and food are supplied too. Knowing the children are in a safe environment enables the mothers to go out to work. One of the mothers described her hopes now:

"The minimum education received by my children would save them from their future disastrous situation. Sohana looks confident and her clever look makes me happy’".

Image: St Francis centre supported by SI Pretoria, South Africa, PFR 35469

Another recent enrichment programme created by SI Pretoria for 50 children at a drop-in centre in South Africa has similarly been making a huge difference. Higher literacy levels for girls, children developing a love of books, a greater knowledge of healthy relationships and experiences of the world outside the slum in which they live are just some of the results noted. Specialist training and the mentoring of carers are thought to be key reasons for the project’s success. (PFR, 35469)

Illiteracy and social exclusion are closely linked. In Australia, only 1 in 5 indigenous children living in very remote communities are able to read at the minimum national standard. Over the past three years SI
Moreton North Inc (Australia) has donated $3000 to the Australian Literacy and
Numeracy Fund (ALNF) Wall of Hands
Project to help fund specialised programs to overcome the many health, developmental and social hurdles faced by children in remote Indigenous communities.

Many clubs in the USA help provide books and literacy resources to women and children who might otherwise miss out, such as elementary schools in deprived areas (SI Palm Desert, PFR 34619), daycare centres for children living in poverty (SI Albuquerque, PFR 33803) and via organisations supporting children escaping domestic abuse (SI Baker County, PFR 33294).

SI believes that quality education for women and girls throughout their lifespan is a necessary foundation for the achievement of development goals. Rolling out “second chance” programmes for illiterate women or those who have left formal schooling continues to be a core strategy of many of the latest Soroptimist efforts to bring literacy to all.

Education for life!

One such project is an adult literacy centre that has been set up in Cameroon by SI Bonaberi-Douala. Literacy, numeracy and other skills training are offered to women who are either too old, too poor or too embarrassed to attend conventional schools. The women can also gain a national certificate which leads to further educational opportunities.This club is trying not only to improve the health, social and economic lives of women but to prevent outcomes of illiteracy such as forced marriages. (PFR 34067) It has meant this to one participant:

"The other day at choir practice we were told to each write down our names and phone numbers. My neighbour asked me for my number so that she could write it down for me alongside my name. I told her I was capable of doing it myself and she was so excited that she turned and told everyone else and they all cheered. It was very encouraging."

In India,a specially designed programme by SI Bombay Chembur has targeted 20 women living in poverty . Over 6 months literacy, numeracy and vocational sessions were provided and “Certificates of Achievement” awarded to give recognition of the women’s newly acquired skills (PFR, 34237).

Image: SI Bombay Chembur, India with literacy students, PFR34237

Supplying essential textbooks, stationery and equipment to an adult literacy centre in Nigeria is how SI Enugu Coal City has been working with local partners tosupport effective and affordable learning for women and girls who have beendeprived of learning opportunities (PFR, 31962).

Image: Adult literacy centre in Nigeria supplied by SI EnuguCoal City, PFR 31962

Raising awareness:

Highlighting the importance of investing in girls education has been at the heart of SI Aalst’s, Belgium joint project with the Nigerian government and other partners. Girls in Nigeria, particularly in remote areas are often excluded from education and face strong pressures toleave school early to marry or take up domestic work. A radio campaign was launched to convince parents that one of the most effective ways of reducing poverty is education for girls!

International Literacy Day - Soroptimist Intl Lagos, Nigeria

Image:SI Lagos (Nigeria) with pupils of Ansar U Deen Girls High School, PFR 32080. World Literacy Day is promoted by the club through book donations to schools libraries for girls.

Teachers and parents have testified to the success of the imaginative approach of SI Cirencester and District, UK; a literacy competition involving 1000 primary schoolchildren across 12 UK schools aimed at improving their writing skills and raising awareness of the importance of literacy.