Promoting Literacy in Africa
From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development
In this issue of The Soul Beat:
* PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES on mobile libraries, reading projects, and storytelling
* Spotlight on INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY 2009
* EVALUATIONS of literacy initiatives
* STRATEGIC THINKING on adult literacy and on literacy, ICTs and HIV
* Literacy-related MATERIALS for tutors and facilitators
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September 8 is International Literacy Day where the international community focuses on the status of literacy and adult learning globally. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: some 776 million adults lack minimum literacy skills, which means that one in five adults is still not literate. In addition, 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.
To commemorate the upcoming International Literacy Day, this issue of The Soul Beat newsletter includes summaries of programme experiences, evaluations, strategic thinking documents, and resource materials related to promoting literacy and reading among children, youth, and adults.
If you would like your organisation's communication work or research and resource documents to be featured on the Soul Beat Africa website and in The Soul Beat newsletters, please contact soulbeat@comminit.com
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1. South Africa Mobile Library Project - South Africa
A joint project between the South African Department of Education and the South Africa Primary Education Support Initiative (SAPESI), supported by Sony, the South Africa Mobile Library Project works to improve South Africa's literacy levels. The main goals for the Mobile Library Project are to promote fluency in reading which organisers say is the basis of all further learning, assist educators in promoting literacy skills to learners, and to support the school curriculum with a wide range of learning and teaching resources. The project involves a fleet of mobile libraries which lend books to learners and teachers.
Contact Tadashi Hasunuma thasunuma@sapesi-japan.org
2. Ethiopia Reads - Ethiopia
Established in 2003, Ethiopia Reads is an initiative that seeks to create a reading culture in Ethiopia by connecting children with books. The project seeks to achieve its goals through building libraries for children, creating culturally appropriate reading materials, and training educators to nurture a love of books. According to the organisers, Ethiopia has rich cultural and historical resources, such as oral storytelling, as well as a very ancient history and a written culture.
Contact Ethiopia Reads info@ethiopiareads.org OR ebcefethiopia@yahoo.com
3. Integrated Intergenerational Literacy Project (IILP) - Uganda
Initiated in 2003 by the Uganda Rural Literacy and Community Development Association (URLCODA), the Integrated Intergenerational Literacy Project (IILP) is an initiative in the Arua district of Uganda designed to promote the development of a literate, secure, healthy, gender-sensitive, and peaceful society that fosters sustainable grassroots development. IILP offers literacy classes for various ages that integrate livelihoods and life skills training. IILP’s strategy is based on the belief that in order to empower rural communities, it is necessary to foster literacy skills across all age-groups, while paying particular attention to socially disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
Contact Willy Ngaka willie@tualu.org OR urlcoda@yahoo.co.uk
4. The Big Read Africa - Africa
Launched in 2009, the Big Read is part of the Global Campaign for Education's (CGE) advocacy efforts to promote reading, raise public awareness, and advocate for political will of governments and other leaders to fulfil their education promises. Every April GCE organises a week of campaigning called Global Action Week. In 2009, the week was themed "The Big Read". Organised around The Big Read book, a collection of short stories and poems, African events included activities with celebrities and public readings, story writing, and advocacy events to promote reading.
Contact Alex Kent alex@campaignforeducation.org OR info@campaignforeducation.org
5. Multicultural Storytelling for Literacy Empowerment - Southern Africa, West Africa
Launched in 2005, Multicultural Storytelling for Literacy Empowerment (MUSTLE) Africa uses storytelling and interactive story workshops to encourage basic literacy among youth. Operating mostly in Southern and West Africa, the organisation also seeks to raise awareness of other cultures and social issues through story. Street youth and orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) are central to the programme and the key strategy is to use participatory workshops.
Contact Ivor Kasongo mustleafrica@netconnect.co.zw
OR James Robinson mustle.international@googlemail.com
6. The Study Groups and Literacy Programme (Programme de Cercle d'Etudes et de l'Alphabétisation) - Cameroon
Launched in 2005 by the National Association of Cameroonian Language Committees (ANACLAC), the Study Groups and Literacy Programme works to boost the role of national languages in literacy training in Cameroon. The project involves the establishment of study groups who combine reading and writing sessions with discussions about topics relevant to that group such as agriculture, HIV/AIDS, and gender equality. The groups also develop or adapt their own materials to suit their local language and content requirements.
Contact Dr. Etienne Sadembouo nacalco@camnet.cm OR Blasius A. Chiatoh bchiatoh@yahoo.com
7. The Children's Book Project - Tanzania
Initiated in 1991, the Children's Book Project for Tanzania (CBP) is an organisation that seeks to alleviate what they identified as an acute shortage of books in Tanzania, particularly children’s books, as well as a lack of adequate skills among book sector personnel to produce these reading materials. The Children's Book Project works to develop a strong reading culture sustained by effective reading skills and the provision of quality reading materials. In addition, CBP hopes to promote reading habits amongst all school children in Tanzania. The project works to assist with the production and distribution of relevant reading materials and to encourage and support indigenous authorship.
Contact cbp@raha.com
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International Literacy Day 2009
This year International Literacy Day will put the spotlight on the empowering role of literacy and its importance for participation, citizenship, and social development. Literacy and Empowerment is the theme for the 2009-2010 biennium of the United Nations Literacy Decade.
Click here to find out more.
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8. Review of 16 Reflect Evaluations
By Maura Duffy, Jude Fransman, and Emma Pearce
This paper, published by ActionAid in 2008, consolidates evidence, learning, and approaches to evaluation from 16 evaluations of the "Reflect" process, a participatory approach to adult learning and social change fusing theories of Paulo Freire with participatory rural appraisal methodologies. According to the publishers, Reflect programmes operate in diverse contexts, and approaches to evaluation have been equally diverse - making it difficult to consolidate. In order to draw out learning from existing evaluations to feed into a new evaluation framework, this review of 16 evaluations was conducted. The report contends that many innovations are taking place, but greater standardisation is needed to be able to clearly assess the impact on communities and individuals.
9. Family Literacy Project: Evaluation 2007
This evaluation document shares the experiences, lessons learned, and impact of a family literacy project operating in the southern part of the Drakensberg mountains in South Africa. This project focuses specifically on working with families in community settings. The focus of the evaluation was to assess whether the Family Literacy Project (FLP) was making the community a better place, especially for children. According to monitoring and evaluation conducted by the organisation, the project is making a difference for literacy, especially among children, in the community.
10. Developing Adult Literacy: Approaches to Planning, Implementing and Delivering Literacy Initiatives
By Juliet McCaffery, Juliet Merrifield, and Juliet Millican
This handbook, published by Oxfam Great Britain in 2005, is for adult literacy practitioners. It reviews the state of literacy education and discusses international trends in literacy. The authors state that there is a tension in trying to assess the outcomes of financial investment in literacy programmes to determine what is both effective and cost effective. Describing best practices, they claim, is also not simple because programmes, structures, and evaluations are often not comparable.
11. Making the Connections: Why Literacy Matters for HIV Prevention
By Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo and Diarra Mahamadou Cheick
This document, from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Literacy Matters series, looks at the relationship between literacy and HIV prevention education. The authors state that the relationship between education and HIV prevalence has two distinct stages. In the initial stage of the spread of HIV, according to statistical indicators, there is a positive relationship between education level and rate of infection, possibly related to increased mobility, but in the subsequent stages of the pandemic, the relationship is inverse, and education becomes a factor in changing behaviour related to risk.
12. Using ICT to Develop Literacy
This booklet, published by UNESCO in 2006, aims to provide a concise overview of the literacy issue and explain how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used to enhance literacy education and contribute to achieving the Literacy Decade goals. The booklet focuses on five areas where ICT can be utilised in literacy education: enhancing learning; raising access to literacy education; training of teachers; localising content; and creating a literacy-conducive environment. The booklet also contains examples of the use of ICT in literacy education.
13. Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2006: Literacy for Life
This UNESCO document, the fourth edition of the Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report, focuses on literacy. The report measures the world's progress towards achieving the six EFA goals, especially universal literacy. It stresses, according to the Executive Summary, "the urgency of devoting increased policy attention and resources to literacy, emphasising the profound benefits it confers on individuals, communities, and nations".
14. How to Set-up a Reading Club: Guidelines
This 6-page booklet contains guidelines on how to set up and run a reading club. It was created to support programmes working to create more literate communities and encourage communities to take responsibility and ownership of local reading clubs.
15. Handbook for Literacy and Non-Formal Education Facilitators in Africa
By Amadou Wade Diagne, Etienne Sadembouo, Fati Ouédraogo, Juliana Adu-Gyamfi, Saim Kinteh, and Shahnewaz Khan
This handbook, published by UNESCO in 2006, is designed to be a first step in providing a holistic regional resource package for capacity building of institutional frameworks for non-formal education (NFE) personnel in Africa. Facilitators can use the handbook as a basic guide for responding to the specific needs of the learners and for promoting knowledge, skills, and attitudes in reading, writing, and numeracy.
16. Good Health Begins at Home: A Guide for Literacy Tutors
This guide, published by the adult literacy NGO, Operation Upgrade, is designed to help parents become better home health providers. Working with the guide, tutors can show learners how to develop good health for themselves and their families and how to treat common illnesses. Good Health Begins at Home is a participatory health-literacy guide with a picture kit that teaches reading and writing skills and health management through discussions based on learner's experiences and through knowledge shared by the tutor with the learners.
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To view previous related issues of The Soul Beat newsletters see:
The Soul Beat 121 - Communication in Education
The Soul Beat 48 - MDG 2: Universal Primary Education
The Soul Beat 40 - Communication in Education: Tools for Teachers
Click here to all view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.
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