Resources to develop the literacy skills of children and youth with specialized content to support girls.
As citizens of a global, interconnected community, we use literacy every day. We use the written word to celebrate our greatest wins and explore the deepest of sorrows. We use literacy to find our tribe and debate different points of view. Even in times of great divisiveness, we fight with our words more often than with our fists. Literacy is the framework through which we communicate, connect and expand our shared existence.
Yet nearly a billion people are unable to join the conversation because they cannot read or write. 750 million adults lack basic reading and writing skills. 124 million children and adolescents are not in school and one in four children in low-income countries cannot read.
In the words of our Literacy Program Director, Christabel Pinto, books have the power to expand the boundaries of our world. Good stories allow us to take a few steps in somebody else’s shoes and, in doing so, to recognize our shared humanity and experience a world beyond our own. But children’s books are so much more than a learning tool — they delight, teach, engage, and challenge us.
When living in difficult circumstances, books can provide a respite from struggle and a window into possibilities beyond the here and now. In a world where differences are exploited to pit people against each other, books can be a means to understanding both ourselves and others better.
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