Literacy elevates human dignity and is the hallmark of civilization. It develops personal expression, critical thinking, problem solving skills and increases civic participation and economic productivity.
There are nearly 1 billion adults who are illiterate. The worst illiteracy is in India, where 700 million people live on less than $2/day and over 200 million women cannot read or write.
The downward cycle of poverty and the victimization of the world's most vulnerable women and children create desperate conditions with little or no hope to improve the lives of entire communities.
Human Trafficking
In northern Thailand among the hill tribes and in large pockets of India where millions are without access to education, human traffickers exploit illiterate women and children. This lucrative business takes advantage of poor people in desperate circumstances. Parents are persuaded to sell their children and others are lured away with false promises of employment. In one of the world's most immoral human enterprises, women and children are sold into virtual slavery as domestics, bonded labourers, child soldiers and sex trade workers.
Gender Discrimination and Domestic Cruelty
When traditional norms are observed in India, daughters and wives are regarded as property by their families, with ownership transferred by marriage. Only 1% of women own land in India and 70% experience domestic cruelty. Despite laws to prevent gender discrimination, women are routinely beaten and even killed. In addition, the deeply engrained social preference for males results in widespread female infanticide among the poor.
Hill Tribe culture in Thailand is less harsh towards women. But domestic violence is high among the unemployed and uneducated.
Poor Nutrition and Health Care
Cultural norms reinforce the belief that girls should be the last to eat at a meal. Given substandard family incomes, this often means daughters and pregnant women are malnourished and denied medical care.
HIV/AIDS
Virulent infection rates occur when poverty drives migrant workers away from their families, only to infect them when they return. Literacy is required to understand the fundamentals of health messaging.
