Message from Helen Owen - APD for Education

Why is literacy so important?

Literacy is:
* A human right
* A tool of personal empowerment
* A means for social and human development

Literacy is:
* Essential for educational opportunities
* At the heart of basic education for all

Literacy helps to:
* Reduce child mortality
* Curb population growth
* Achieve gender equality
* Ensure sustainable development, peace and democracy

One in five adults is still not literate - two- thirds of them women

Seventy-two million children are out of school. As Soroptimists we are concerned that this continuing high rate of illiteracy remains a severe impediment to the advancement and development of women and girls.



Has your club planned an event to mark UN Day of Literacy?

Successful events in the past have included Literary Suppers, Book Sales, Prose and Poetry Readings, Book Shop events or as suggested in May Edition of Soroptimist News, put one or all of these questions to members of the club or invite friends or significant members of your community to be your guest.

Do you remember learning to read?
How did you learn to read?
Which books do you remember reading as a child?
Is there a book that has made a lasting impression or influenced you as an adult?
Which book are you reading now?

It could spark lively discussions!

By holding an event to support Book Aid International (BAI) and to mark 8 September, clubs will be working towards the third goal of the 2007 – 2011 Programme Focus which states; ‘Women and girls will have access to education.’

To find out more about the work of BAI visit their website

As well as sending over 500,000 books every year to some of the poorest countries in the world, Book Aid International also develop and support a number of community projects which promote and encourage literacy in the developing world. One such project is the Women’s Reading Club project in Malawi.

Book Aid International developed the Malawi Women's Reading Club project in partnership with the Malawi National Library Service. The clubs are designed to help women strengthen their literacy skills and access information which can improve their daily lives. Women in Malawi are far less likely to use the library than men, are poorer and have far fewer opportunities for training and education. In Malawi, girls are statistically less likely to attend primary school and even less likely to attend secondary school.

Book Aid International and our partners in Malawi are working hard to redress this balance by providing opportunities for women to learn such as the Women’s Reading Clubs.

‘Be bold, make a difference’ to Women in Malawi

"I had to leave school early. I am so happy to be a part of this reading group - I want to improve my reading so I can help my daughters with their reading and their future."
Felesta Jonas, 26, mother of two.

The books the women from the clubs have chosen and that BAI help to provide, range from farming skills and human rights to HIV, knitting, and the history and culture of Malawi. From visiting the clubs it is clear that reading has helped to change the women’s lives. They keep up with current affairs, they are more knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS, their cooking skills have improved, small business development has become a possibility for some and they consider that they have gained a measure of independence and respect from their husbands.

For some their greater reading fluency has enabled them to take up their education again and by reading themselves, they are also encouraging their children to do the same.

Here are some other ways that your money could be used:

• £25 could provide a class pack of 20 new books
• £80 could provide a case of 60 books for a refugee camp
• £320 could supply a starter set of 240 books for a community library
  

If your club decides to support Book Aid International please make cheques payable to book Aid International and send to Community Fundraising, Book Aid International, 39-41 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NR

I will look forward to reading your reports!

Helen Owen
APD - Education