The Love and Care of a Teacher
Unable to read and left widowed by an alcoholic husband who died of malaria,
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Dr. Joyce Scott, a 50-year missionary, developed a literacy ministry in which classes of 30 adults meet 2 hours per night, 5 nights per week for 10 months. Of students completing the program, many can read at a 5th grade level.
Literacy classes teach students to help themselves Self-help skills are taught along with basic instruction in finance. Daily wages frequently increases 70% or more after literacy.
AS STUDENTS PRACTICE READING, THEY ALSO LEARN:
Basic health & personal hygiene
Nutrition & Proper diet
Community sanitation
Family relationships
Pre- & post natal care
Self-help skills-financial improvement
Political rights
Government programs for the poor
AIDS, leprosy, and alcohol awareness
Importance of sending children to school
Benefits of stopping child marriages.
Morals and ethics
Each graduate is given their own book.
Communities are uplifted
Many villages receive roads, electricity, and bus stops for the first time.
Students learn forestry and hundreds of trees are planted to help the ecosystem.
Students form cohorts for saving money and working together in dairy, agriculture, and other micro-enterprises.
Women become involved in village politics and many women begin earning income for the first time.
The success rate is phenomenal
Over 90% of those enrolling in the literacy classes complete the 10-month program.
The program multiplies itself as 30% of graduates commit to teaching up to 5 others to become literate.
0
women
sponsored for literacy classes over the last 5 years
0
% of students
complete the literacy program
0
% of graduates
give back by committing to teach others to read
Literacy, education, and increased awareness helps reduce child marriages
UNICEF report, March 6, 2018, Read full report
Types of Literacy Programs
Educating women is a priority. When a woman is educated the whole family is educated. Becoming literate immediately empowers these women, putting them in a position where they know their rights as citizens.
Literacy is a key component to people group projects. Over a three year period, 750 adults attend literacy courses.
Village Literacy Rehabilitation Projects (VLRP) is a 2 year project meant to change and develop the whole community while regular literacy work concentrates on 30 illiterates and their families.
Stories
My First School
At the age of 48, Udaya had never even seen a school. She spent her days walking the forests, gathering fruits to sell in the markets of the surrounding cities in order to make a living.
Meet Laila, an Adult Literacy Student
At 28 years old, Laila was a wife and a mother of two. At 28 years old, Laila was also uneducated, and her family was very poor.
Community Changes
Samaja and her community live in a mountainous region, relying on agriculture and the natural resources of their land for opportunities to work.
Meet Parma, an Adult Literacy Student
When I was a child, I did not get the opportunity to study. When I heard that they were going to start literacy classes in our village, I felt very happy.
Meet Veena, an Adult Literacy Student
Though I hold the highest post in the village, I was unable to read and reply to the goverenment orders and letters. I was afraid that I might have to lose my job.