March is Literacy Month
Rotary Fights Illiteracy One Person at a Time
Combating illiteracy has been a focus of Rotary since 1986 -- and for good reason. UNESCO estimates there are 862 million illiterate adults in the world and about two thirds of them are women. Millions more are functionally illiterate, without the reading and writing skills necessary for everyday life. The United Nations has identified illiteracy as a major obstacle to economic, political and social development. March is the month we showcase literacy. Our efforts are twofold. All across the world Rotarians note the importance of reading and we publicize the needs in the form of poor literacy rates and the lack of resources. Around the world we support numerous programs that help children and adults to gain the ability to read. CLICK ABOVE TO READ MORE
Worldwide illiteracy rates approach 20%. In many countries the rates is in the 80% range. Approximately one billion people are not able to read. Reading, writing and character literacy are essential to independence and economic freedom. Far too many adults in North America and the developing countries live in poverty today because they haven’t mastered those skills. Far too many children are currently at risk of falling into the same trap. Illiteracy is one of the world’s (and America’s) most serious problems.
The inability to read translates into many difficulties. Safely driving a car, voting in an election, using a newspaper, applying for a job or having mom read a bedtime story are just a few of the challenges to be overcome. Literacy is a basic skill that helps us to fight poverty, increase productivity, and gain skills to help each other. As Rotarians we are working to fight illiteracy one person at a time. We are doing this in so many effective ways.