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Footsteps 62

LITERACY

Photo: Richard Hanson/Tearfund
Photo: Richard Hanson/Tearfund

In our world of increasingly rapid and global communications, it is very challenging to realise that one in every five adults (over 860 million people) lack literacy skills and that two-thirds of these are women. In addition, over 113 million children are unable to attend school and learn literacy skills.

However, basic education (in which literacy is key) was recognised as a human right over 50 years ago, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United Nations (UN) has declared a Literacy Decade (2003–2012) to try to improve this situation. Their goal is to increase literacy rates by 50% by 2015.

Please find below articles from Footsteps issue 62 in html.

To download a pdf version of Footsteps issue 62 click here (572K).


‘Now the blackboard is looking at me!’
by Barbara Lawes. Mothers’ Union members and workers worldwide know that a lack of literacy skills is one of the main problems facing women and girls, especially in rural areas. Without literacy skills, women find it much harder to improve conditio... More >>
Bible study
Languages and communication: God’s plan for mankind.   People working to develop literacy in local languages in many communities around the world play a full part in God’s plan for mankind. This is because literacy helps ensure clear communication ... More >>
Editorial
In our world of increasingly rapid and global communications, it is very challenging to realise that one in every five adults (over 860 million people) lack literacy skills and that two-thirds of these are women. In addition, over 113 million childre... More >>
How to spell freedom
by Kuki Rokhum. We did not even ask her name – we were too busy listening to her talk excitedly about the difference literacy classes had made to her life. I could not stop smiling as I listened to her. She was just an ordinary woman from the Korku ... More >>
Language committees
by Noé Ngueffo. Cameroon has two official languages – French and English – and about 250 local languages. With a population of 15 million, Cameroon has an official literacy rate of 63%. Several communities have formed their own local language commi... More >>
Learning literacy skills
Adults often forget how they learnt to read and write as children. This means that the process of teaching literacy can sometimes be difficult and confusing. Where literacy training is available, trained facilitators are the best people to pass on th... More >>
Letters
Raising awareness of the importance of breast-feeding.   For World Breast-feeding Week in 2004, staff in AJINAA planned to raise awareness about this important issue with our young people. We held meetings for young people, both girls and youths. ... More >>
Literacy – a moving target
by Clinton Robinson. Literacy is often said to be a key to development – but what does that really mean? Does it mean that those who can read and write are better placed to improve their lives? Or that once a community is routinely reading and writi... More >>
Preparing materials for translation
by Nyomi Graef and Ross James. We were involved in a translation project to provide training materials for health workers for use in radio programmes. Our task was to prepare the original English materials for translation by making them easier to r... More >>
Resources
Adult Literacy: A handbook for development workers by Paul Fordham, Deryn Holland and Juliet Millican This is a book for development workers with no formal training in adult education or literacy, but who find themselves having to respond to reques... More >>
Starting and managing literacy programmes
by Stellah Tumwebaze. LABE (Literacy and Adult Basic Education) is an organisation based in Kampala working in 14 districts of Uganda. It has wide experience in promoting literacy rights. Here they share some of their experience and help us to consi... More >>
The value of literacy to the Énxet
by Tim Curtis. The Énxet (or Lengua) people of Paraguay are an indigenous hunter-gatherer people numbering about 6,000. Some of them still practise hunter-gathering, despite the loss of most of their lands in the 1930s when the Chaco region was ope... More >>