ISSN 1993-8616
2008 - number 7
Literacy is the best remedy
© UNESCO/Patrick Lagès
Power of Youth, by Ik-Jong Kang (donated to UNESCO by the Republic of Korea).
It is enough to have finished primary school to multiply by five one’s chances of being informed about HIV and AIDS. As for malaria, which takes a million lives annually, it is particularly deadly among illiterate populations. Literacy and good health are inseparable. This is the theme of International Literacy Day (8 September) and the 2008 UNESCO International Literacy Prizes, on which our latest issue focuses. The introduction is written by Henning Mankell, well-known Swedish author and AIDS activist. More
The place of honour is reserved for the Aksum Obelisk in Ethiopia, reinstalled on its original site after 70 years of exile.
See Focus section
H as in Hygiene, O as in Osteoporosis, A as in AIDS…
A good idea, positive social impact, multiple benefits: the equation sums up the success of the programme « Alfabetizando com Saúde ». It received the UNESCO International Reading Association Literacy Prize this year. Its founders had intended for it to last only a short time! More
Hope for a forgotten land
One of the two UNESCO Confucius Prizes for Literacy was awarded this year to the NGO Operation Upgrade (South Africa) for its Kwanibela project. Its innovative methods have proven effective in promoting rural women’s literacy and empowerment. An example to follow. More
Reading the world
The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize was awarded this year to the People’s Action Forum in Zambia for its programme “Reflect and HIV/AIDS” that empowers communities through literacy education to tackle issues linked to the pandemic. The programme uses local languages and cultural activities in its innovative strategy. More
Women are the future of mankind
Writing workshops, business management and disease prevention – all are classes offered by the “Literacy Plus” programme launched by the Adult and Non-Formal Education Association in Ethiopia (ANFEAE), for which the NGO received one of the two 2008 UNESCO Confucius Prizes for Literacy. More
Reading and fun
More than 12 million people have difficulty with reading and writing in the United Kingdom. The BBC decided to come to their aid by launching the programme RaW (Reading and Writing), which has just received an Honourable Mention in this year’s UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize awards. More
Honourable Mention for literacy programme
“Intégration”, an NGO working with the visually handicapped in and around the Moroccan city of Marrakech, has been awarded an Honourable Mention by UNESCO and the International Reading Association. More
