Literacy Training
Statistics reveal that 70% of the world’s population are “oral communicators”. In many places we work, the illiteracy rate among traditional peoples is as high as 95%. It is true that many illiterate people want to learn to read and write, but they cannot without being given the opportunity.
Although we believe in the importance and value of working with oral communicators, and working within their oral traditions and story telling language; however, we also endorse and support teaching people to read and write if they so desire. In our Literacy Training Project, SMI helps the later group of people who desire to become literate. The project includes all age levels. Materials include the use of Bible stories and truths when teaching people to read and write, even the primers can be biblically based.
Unfortunately, illiterate peoples are an easy target to take advantage of. In fact, “strategic illiteracy” still lives today and is a common tactic of those who wish to oppress the illiterate. A military commander in the “New Sudan” recently shared with us his thoughts about our desire to partner with them to teach Sudanese how to read...
“This is a dream come true. Illiteracy is something we have been worrying and thinking about for a long time… You see, even now that the war is over, we are still faced with many enemies; and illiteracy is one of the main enemies we have to fight. Without literacy, a nation cannot develop—people cannot know their rights, or fully understand their duties or what is expected of them in a job. Literacy is our future, and therefore we have no problem with your program, and in fact we say welcome, thank you, and we will gladly provide you with any necessary support.”
Although we believe in the importance and value of working with oral communicators, and working within their oral traditions and story telling language; however, we also endorse and support teaching people to read and write if they so desire. In our Literacy Training Project, SMI helps the later group of people who desire to become literate. The project includes all age levels. Materials include the use of Bible stories and truths when teaching people to read and write, even the primers can be biblically based.
Unfortunately, illiterate peoples are an easy target to take advantage of. In fact, “strategic illiteracy” still lives today and is a common tactic of those who wish to oppress the illiterate. A military commander in the “New Sudan” recently shared with us his thoughts about our desire to partner with them to teach Sudanese how to read...
“This is a dream come true. Illiteracy is something we have been worrying and thinking about for a long time… You see, even now that the war is over, we are still faced with many enemies; and illiteracy is one of the main enemies we have to fight. Without literacy, a nation cannot develop—people cannot know their rights, or fully understand their duties or what is expected of them in a job. Literacy is our future, and therefore we have no problem with your program, and in fact we say welcome, thank you, and we will gladly provide you with any necessary support.”