Nicholas Kristof is one of my favorite writers on the New York Times. His column on Sunday, December 1, really made me think about how lucky we all are because we can read. Kristof writes extensively about how deprived women and children throughout the underprivileged world are. Sunday’s column focused on programs that promote literacy at home and in foreign countries.
In Afghanistan, the Afghan Institute of Learning promotes programs that empower women and girls. For a donation of $65 a woman or girl can attend literacy classes for one year. In Haiti a program called HELP, Haitian Education and Leadership Program, believes that an education is the best way to rise above poverty. The program searches out high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds–only those with an A average can apply–and sends them to college. They also provide counseling, English and computer tutoring and stipends. Students who benefit from this program, pledge to contribute 15 percent of their earnings for their first nine years of employment.
Another program is Reach Out and Read. This is a literacy program for the disadvantaged that uses doctors to encourage moms and dads to read to their children. The doctors involved in this program hand out free books to parents during checkups. Studies have proven that families in the program are more likely to describe reading as a child’s favorite activity.
These as well as other literacy programs both in the US and elsewhere have been very successful. What a gift–reading.