September is Basic Education and Literacy Month. A theme of growth, development and hope. Basic Education and Literacy are essential for reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic development, promoting peace and supporting the environment.

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

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

How can Rotary make a difference?

Teach adults to read where the local adult population is functionally illiterate.

Work with local advocates to offer community literacy programs.

Promote new teaching methods: The SOUNS program in South Africa, Puerto Rico and the United States teaches educators how to improve literacy by teaching children to recognize letters by sounds instead of names.

Partner in a world community project to obtain containers full of needed classroom supplies such as desks, chairs, blackboards, etc. to prevent their unwanted school room supplies littering their dumps.

Make schools healthy by providing clean, fresh water to schools.

Open schools to break the cycle of poverty and social imbalance.

Pair students with celebrity and CEO mentors for success.

Develop reading programs in schools.

Share our knowledge and experience with educators and other professionals who work with vulnerable populations