In South Asia, and particularly in Uttar Pradesh, the Indian state in which...(More)

In South Asia, and particularly in Uttar Pradesh, the Indian state in which WLC is focused, literacy rates are extremely low. In UP, according to census 2001 survey, the literacy rate for males was 68.8% and among adult women, the literacy rate was only 42.98%. In India the overall literacy rate is 64.8 % (Male: 75.3%; Female: 53.7%). Historically, a variety of factors have been found to be responsible for poor female literacy rates: gender based inequality, social discrimination and economic exploitation, occupation of girl children in domestic chores, low enrolment of girls in schools, low retention rates and high dropout rates. WLC provides functional literacy classes to women and older girls in communities where poverty is high and literacy rates are low. Women of all ages join our programs -- some are unmarried teenagers who never attended schools, many are the mothers of young children, and some are in their 70s and only now learning to read. Women receive instruction in Hindi reading and writing and basic mathematics as they work through a set of 4 government-provided readers which deal with material of interest to adult women, including everything from stories about famous, strong Indian women to information on family planning. Women attend relaxed classes with a supportive female teacher, and work through the readers at their own pace, some taking longer than others because of heavy work and family responsibilities. In the last project cycle (2004-07), WLC's adult literacy classes have helped over 3500 adult women to complete the program and become officially literate, and by 2012, with the help of our generous donors, we expect that number to reach 6500. Their newfound ability to read and do simple math allows our beneficiaries to run small businesses, gain access to written materials of interest (including family planning resources, fiction, recipe books and newspapers), participate in income generation classes (such as WLC's sewing classes), assist their children with school work, and be fuller, more independent participants in their communities and civil society.(Less)