September is Basic Education and Literacy Month for Rotary. This is one of Rotary Foundation’s seven areas of focus. We know that basic education and literacy are essential for reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic development, and promoting peace.

Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.

More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population.

The Rotary Foundation enables Rotarians to ensure that all people have sustainable access to basic education and literacy by:

• Involving the community to support programs that strengthen the capacity of communities to provide basic education and literacy to all;
• Increasing adult literacy in communities;
• Working to reduce gender disparity in education;
• Supporting studies for career-minded professionals related to basic education and literacy.
• Rotary Club pairs students with celebrity and CEO mentors for success.
• We share our knowledge and experience with educators and other professionals who work with vulnerable populations.
• Rotary members fight adult illiteracy by working with local advocates to offer community literacy programs.

Consider these facts:
• If all women completed primary education, there would be 66% fewer maternal deaths.
• A child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five.
• If all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty, which would be equivalent to a 12% cut in world poverty.