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Literacy For All!
Authored by Cynthia E. Jones

Literacy for every Child, and adult, for boys and girls, for men and women, for those in school and out of school, for all communities, rich, poor, rural and urban, for all countries, for all the world and eliminate despair.

Chances are, if you are reading this, you personally are not dealing with literacy or illiteracy issues. There is a possibility however, that you know someone who is. Maybe you are like me and struggle with literacy, making it a daily practice to improve your vocabulary and writing skills. You may be a Parent or Grand-Parent of a Child learning to read or having difficulty with reading and comprehension.

'Early language and educational experiences for children have been found to be particularly critical to adult literacy levels. Early education activities such as learning nursery rhymes and stories, watching Sesame Street, playing word and number games, being read to at an early age, all positively relate to a students' ability to read. Children who learn to read early typically are better students and have higher reading levels. If our nation's schools are going to have an impact on literacy rates, then clearly all children must be given every possible opportunity to learn to read. Policy makers, teachers and parents alike need to work cooperatively with schools in order to achieve this goal.'

Found at Pathfinder
With the tools and information to help build literacy in children.

These examples are challenging for anyone who faces them.
Must one be illiterate before literacy issues are considered severe?

Literacy and the lack of, surrounds us all. It is not a matter of genius or scholar, nor simply the eloquence of one's penmanship. It is however a matter of necessity. Even so, we often times shrug off the notion when our schools are denied funding for books and supplies. We do not take time to research our local libraries to understand how they are funded and how we can help assure that they remain open for our community.

How Libraries are Funded
http://www.michaellorenzen.com/eric/funding.html

The Campaign to Save America's Libraries
http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/piopromotions/campaignsave.htm

Reach Out and Read
http://www.reachoutandread.org/

Worldly View of Literacy

In developing countries, children are deprived of books and education as frequently as medicine and food. These Children are far too sick and hungry to even think about learning. However, with continual support to organizations that are changing these statistics, wrongs can be corrected. With proper instruction and education, poverty, disease, and the neglect of human rights may all be reversed. Literacy may seem to be a minimal resolve to such huge issues. However, literacy does seem to hold a bright beginning to creating change and the lack of literacy may after all be the rooting factor to many of these problems.

'For millions of children across the world, access to a quality education is a luxury beyond their reach. Every child should be able to benefit from education, but around 113 million children are denied this fundamental right. The majority is female.' UNICEF

'HIV/AIDS is decimating education systems across the developing world. Children, and girls in particular are staying away from school to look after sick relatives, the number of children under 15 orphaned by AIDS stands at 10.4 million globally, and in Sub Saharan Africa alone close to 1 million children have lost a teacher to HIV/AIDS.' UNICEF

Poverty is not the only thief of literacy. Cultures and beliefs are also common factors. In some societies, it is thought to be needless for a little girl to go to school or to learn to read.

"… the best way to fight this is to educate the young girls so that they KNOW that they are not being treated right. Many women just feel that that is the way things are, and that they cannot change." Mareka, 15, from Australia

"Change must take place through evolution, through educating the young people of today. We can only hope that the adults of tomorrow will make the right choice." Girl, 16, from the UK

Labels: article, literacy, litkorner2005