Have you ever travelled to a country where you don't speak the language? That uncertain feeling is what millions of illiterate people feel every day. At home.

The Mitrataa gang celebrates Literacy Day

Have you ever travelled to a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, can’t read the signs, can’t order food because you have no idea what menus say? For the millions of illiterate people around the world, that feeling of fear, being out of control, lack of trust and incompetence, accompanies them every day of their lives, in everything they do, like a shadow they cannot shake.  
For me, literacy is about freedom. That’s why Mitrataa focuses on it. One of our women described it best – literacy is like “suddenly having a cloud lifted and seeing the sunshine. Now I no longer have to have such a good memory and be so tricky to hide my illiteracy. Now I can hold my head high in the community and stand up for my rights because I can sign my name instead of with my thumb print. And now people can’t rip me off because I can count money and I can read signs.”

 

Sabitri pledges to read

To celebrate International Literacy Day, Mitrataa teamed up with one of our favourite partners, John Wiley & Sons, to challenge the Wiley staff to pledge to read for 890 hours and the Mitrataa girls to pledge to read for 89 minutes each to celebrate their literacy. The girls also explored the impact of illiteracy in their community in Nepal.

 

Thank you to Wiley for their wonderful support and to all of our generous supporters who allowed us to give the gift of literacy to the girls and women of Nepal.

To donate, please visit our website – www.mitrataa.org.

Junu's story of the impact of illiteracy - click to read