Do you remember learning to read? What’s your favorite book? How has the ability to read and write changed your life for the better?
Most of us probably don’t give a second thought to how amazing it is we can read a street sign, the instructions on the back of a package–or even this blog. We write text messages, homework and lists of things to pick up at the store. We can read medicine bottles, job applications–or even a story book to a child. Once we reach voting age, we can check out the internet, magazines or newspapers then fill out a ballot to vote for people and policies we think will be best for us.
Meanwhile, UNESCO estimates that 774 million adults (15 years and older) cannot read or write and two-thirds of those are women. As for young people, 123 million are illiterate–of which 76 million are female. Not knowing how to read or write is far more than an inconvenience; in both the United States and around the world, illiteracy hurts both individuals and society because it can lead to:
- Unemployment
- Lower-quality jobs
- Poverty
- Low self-esteem and isolation
- Future generations who are illiterate
- Poor health
- Weak economies
- Inequality
During the Students Rebuild Literacy Challenge in 2015, teams discussed how illiteracy affects people of all cultures, creeds, ethnicities and national origins and how it creates a negative ripple effect around the world. The good news is that many people and organizations are working to reduce illiteracy and are making a real difference!
