WUNRN
LITERACY FOR WOMEN & GIRLS
VERSE + AFGHANISTAN LITERACY PROGRAM
___________________________________________________________________
From
the US Center for Family Literacy
VERSE - "BECAUSE I CAN READ - MOTHER TO DAUGHTER"
Because
I can read,
I
can understand. I can write a letter.
I
can fill out a job application.
I
can finally get off welfare.
Because
I can read,
I
can learn. I can help my daughter
With
her homework.
I
can inspire her to be better.
I
can be a role model.
Because
I can read,
I
can succeed, I can
Contribute.
I can live
My
life without fear,
Without
shame.
I
can be whatever
I
want to be.
Because
I can read.
####
____________________________________________________________________
Fatema
of Afghanistan, age 34, an outstanding student, explained her motives: “There
is a big difference between a literate and an illiterate woman; being literate
means being able to help oneself and one’s family. I will encourage my
daughters to go to school.
UNESCO
- http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=58782&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Afghanistan : Fatema’s Story - The Enhancement of Literacy
in Afghanistan Programme
Fatema, a woman from the Naw Abad village of Bamyan province and a mother of seven children is actively participating in a new literacy class.
Fatema is 34 years old but after being in class for just
three months, she has learned the basics of how to read and write, skills she
never learned as a child.
“When I read my text books and learn something new, I feel a great sense of
pride and honour in my heart. I am no longer an illiterate woman,” she said.
About three months ago there were no literate women in the entire village of
Naw Abad in the Shaidan area of Bamyan province in the central highlands of
Afghanistan. The area is sadly famous for the destruction of the giant Buddha
statues in 2001. Now with the Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan (ELA)
programme, Fatema and other women from the village are gathering every day to
achieve a common goal - to challenge the traditional idea that women don’t need
to be educated.
UNESCO, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education and funding from the
Government of Japan, started the pilot literacy programme in Bamyan province in
November 2008. Over the next five years the literacy programme will provide
educational assistance to 600,000 men and women in 18 provinces of Afghanistan.
Ultimately the goal is to ensure that 60 per cent of the beneficiaries of the
programme will be women. In addition to the literacy intervention, the
programme provides vocational skills and micro-credit opportunities to the
newly-literate women to help them get involved in income generation
opportunities and improve their families’ livelihoods.
Fatema, an outstanding student, explained her motives: “There is a big
difference between a literate and an illiterate woman; being literate means
being able to help oneself and one’s family. I will encourage my daughters to
go to school. Now I can help them with their homework, and sometimes we have
discussions on dictations and writing or reading words correctly, which is both
interesting and encouraging for me and my children.”
But some relatives and neighbours still criticize Fatema’s participation.
“Despite some criticism, my husband now supports me coming to this class. At
first he couldn’t believe that at this age I can learn reading and writing, but
now things have changed dramatically. He is happy that I help our children with
their lessons as he cannot do it himself. I am proud of my achievements and my
reading and writing skills, I never want to give up learning even if I must
fight against criticism or any other problems,” said Fatema.
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