UN Literacy Decade about to end

This December, 2012 marks the end of the UN Literacy Decade, which began in 2003. The initiative was launched to promote, defend and improve literacy in children, youth and adults worldwide. We will know how successful this action was when the final evaluation is submitted to the United Nations General Assembly in 2013.

India still lagging behind China in female literacy rate

According to a recent article by Carrie Lennard, Government Labour and Education Manager at Euromonitor International, the one-child policy in China (in place since 1979) and its preference for educating males is doing damage to the Asian giant's growth rate, so much so that its total employed female population is forecast to contract by 1.2% between 2012 and 2020.

In contrast and partly owing to increased female incomes, during that same period India saw a real growth of 64.2% in consumer expenditure on education.

This reinforces our conviction that we must promote female illiteracy because improved literacy among women translates into improved health as well as school enrollment and outcomes by enabling women who enter the workforce to invest in their children's health and education, that is, in their children's future.

Statistics and predictions tell us that literacy is the key to social and economic development and improvement at several levels. It can mark the difference between extreme poverty and a bright, hopeful future for an entire society, not just for women. What is more, in countries beset by conflict, literacy can contribute to peace.

India may still be lagging behind the other Asian giant, but it can do a lot to bridge that gap and why not, to get ahead of its rival neighbor. If rivalry means improving the social conditions, health and education of its people, then let there be rivalry.

My visit to a literacy lesson

It's been a long wait, but finally here's a short video clip of the visit I made to the WLP class in Gulabgarh, where I was able to observe at first hand how the students of the project were progressing in their efforts towards achieving literacy and numeracy skills.

I was delighted and also moved when I saw this group of women doing something for themselves for a change, even if that meant reconciling their classes with babysitting for their grandchildren. Women never seem to stop looking after their families, so often forgetting to care for themselves.

I'm enthusiastic about this project and convinced that our efforts will help the women succeed in becoming literate, thus more independent and self-confident. The changes that take place in them will not only be for their own benefit, but also for that of their family and their community.

It was a true pleasure to share that short time with them and to check their notebooks too! 

Congratulations to these ladies - the students of the Women's Literacy Project, Gulabgarh!

Mari

Kavita Parmar: the prosperity chain

We're glad to be back after a rather long recess with an interesting interview with an Indian fashion designer who fosters responsible purchasing through her collections of modern garments, wonderfully crafted by artisans from India and Spain. Click on the image below to watch the interview by RTVE.

Kavita Parmar is a fashion designer from India who currently lives and works in Madrid, Spain. She established the firm IOU which creates unique, modern garments - beautifully crafted products imbued in tradition.  IOU tries to connect the garment with the craftsman through what it calls the "prosperity chain" thereby fostering responsible purchasing.

Ms. Parmar provides work for several Indian cooperatives. "We use technology to connect the consumer to the artisans, bringing back that emotional connection between consumers and what they are buying. In this way we promote responsible purchasing because when we know how much work is involved behind the product we are buying, we value it more."

For Kavita, "India always means starting from scratch because India is like that. There everything is always possible… and then there's this enormous projection of colors, smells… it's intense… India stimulates all your senses… it's wonderful… it makes you feel again."

Exceptional women creating amazing projects that add

a human dimension and value to what they do.

"Our century's greatest injustice

Interesting talk by Sheryl WuDunn, journalist and author of "Half the Sky", which you can watch on TED (interactive transcript provided).

Ms. WuDunn does not focus her talk specifically on India or even on the problem of women's literacy, but rather on what she terms "the central moral challenge of this century: gender inequity." This major challenge is behind many of the problems that developing countries are facing today. Essentially, this broader issue is what inspired us to launch the Women's Literacy Project, Gulabgarh.

At one point Sheryl WuDunn quotes Larry Summers, chief economist at the World Bank, who once said: "It may well be that the highest return on investment in the developing world is in girls' education." Ms. WuDunn goes on to say that "...when you educate a girl, she tends to get married later on in life, she tends to have kids later on in life, she tends to have fewer kids, and those kids that she does have, she educates them in a more enlightened fashion."

The WLP is convinced that if its students understand the importance of literacy and numeracy they will then work harder and in a more informed way toward the education of their daughters.

The WLP also shares the speaker's idea that "individuals can make a difference... individuals, together... can all help create a movement. And a movement of men and women is what's needed to bring about social change…"

Finally, according to Sheryl WuDunn, "...research shows that once you have all of your material needs taken care of… there are very few things in life that can actually elevate your level of happiness. One of those things is contributing to a cause larger than yourself." I suppose this is what those of struggling for women's literacy feel: the joy that comes from knowing we are contributing to a much larger cause than ourselves.

We've just added a new resource to our blog page Women's Literacy: resources.

"Creating Authentic Materials and Activities for the Adult Literacy Classroom. A HANDBOOK FOR PRACTITIONERS" by Erik Jacobson, Sophie Degener, Victoria Purcell-Gates.

This handbook focuses on creating authentic materials that help students link classroom activities to real life situations. Students learn best when they are motivated to learn and authentic materials can be highly motivating.

In the case of the WLP students, we find that working with documents such as the ones proposed in the handbook would be especially encouraging. Some instructional objectives linked to these authentic materials could be:

Being able to read

• food labels to discover ingredients for health/religious purposes
• descriptions and even expiry date of prescribed drugs or first aid products
• narratives for their own enjoyment or stories they can share with their children
• informational texts to learn new information
• newspaper articles to learn about topics such as testing, parenting, etc.
• reports of test results to learn about child’s scores and performance
• magazine health articles to learn about good nutrition for themselves and their family..." and so many more. 

Being able to write

• a journal to record personal responses, thoughts, questions
• a note to teacher to inform of a child's absence, request help for him/her, or other items of interest... and many more.

The publication is available on the National Center for Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) website. We've shared it on our resources page.

Tibetan scarves and their meaning

Perhaps our readers have been wondering why the sponsors of our literacy project are wearing those beautiful yellow scarves in the photos. If you remember, most of our current WLP students belong to the Buddhist community of Gulabgarh and these silk scarves are an important part of their tradition. We'd like to explain why.

Bestowing a Khata or silk scarf, is an ancient Tibetan buddhist tradition that is still honored today. The Khata is offered as an auspicious symbol of good intentions during the welcoming and initiation of new relationships. In fact, they are presented as blessings to all types of new relationships and during events such as religious and political ceremonies, marriages, births, funeral ceremonies, and on any occasion that a person considers worthy of its bestowal. We chose to present our supporters with a Khata as a sign of our deepest respect and gratitude.

The offering of a Khata often marks a powerful change and transition in a person’s life. It is an honor for a person to be presented with this genuine act of blessing and good will.

Khatas are bestowed on images of Buddha, spiritual teachers and objects of devotion as a sign of respect and gratitude and so it is very common for people to hang white silk scarves over altars and around the sacred objects that are placed there. They are also considered to bring good luck. In addition, you will often see them flown and put on prayer flags. It's a wonderful feeling when you receive a Khata as you reach the top of a high mountain pass!

The traditional scarves are usually made of white or ivory colored silk with symbols or mantras either inscribed or woven into the fabric. Cotton as well as other fabrics are used to create Khatas and they are available in a variety of colors including blue, red, green and yellow or gold.

On a curious note, while President Obama was being sworn in as President of the United States, he was carrying a white silk scarf, or khata, blessed by H.H. the Dalai Lama, in his pocket.

Sources:
http://EzineArticles.com/3167725
http://www.tibetanprayerflag.com/products.php?cat=5