Reading and writing is what first enabled us to partner with you, communicate with you, and improve the lives of people in developing nations. Yet around the globe, there are nearly 900 million illiterate adults and children who are at a disadvantage due to a lack of educational infrastructure, war, or poverty. Two-thirds of illiterate adults are women. Sadly, it’s no coincidence that the places in the world that have the highest illiteracy rates are the same places where gender inequality, severe poverty, and violence are rampant. In OICI’s work around the world, literacy is a crucial tool for personal empowerment, gender equality, and more peaceful and just societies. That’s why we are celebrating the United Nation’s 44th International Literacy Day on September 8th. We hope you’ll join us in the celebrations as a Partner in Literacy.
OIC International integrates literacy initiatives into our programs to empower and enable the incredible men, women, and children we work with. In Ghana, HIV/AIDS orphans and people living with HIV/AIDS are taught reading and writing along with health and vocational education. In Liberia, we reach out with literacy to give refugees and war-affected youth options for their future. In Sierra Leone, we use literacy and skills training in our work to rehabilitate former child soldiers. In our micro-enterprise programs around the world, we help men and women create sustainable employment for themselves by teaching literacy in conjunction with business skills training.