International Literacy Day – September 08, 2009

International Literacy Day, September 8, focuses attention on worldwide literacy issues and needs. The following is the United Nations Secretary General’s message on International Literacy Day:

 ”In a world of enormous wealth, in a world in which education and knowledge are the necessary passports to a better life, the scale of illiteracy is truly staggering. Approximately 776 million adults – most of them women – have no secure command of the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy. Seventy-five million children are not in school…”

“Literacy gives people tools with which to improve their livelihoods, participate in community decision-making, gain access to information about health care, and much else besides. Above all, it enables individuals to realize their rights as citizens and human beings. Literacy is not just about reading and writing; it is about respect, opportunity and development…”

In Australia we have Indigenous Literacy Day which helps raise urgently needed funds to address the literacy crisis in remote Indigenous communities. Visit http://www.worldwithoutbooks.org/ILD/ for more information.