“Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me.”
1 Corinthians 14:10

The Rewarding Job of Doing Literacy Work

Imagine living your life without books or any written information. Even in a post-literate age, that's scary. Yet that is the reality for millions of people all over the world. In almost all cases, it is the poor and marginalised who are denied access to literacy.

Do you have what it takes to be a literacy specialist? The following are all very valuable:

• A love of teaching and passing on skills to others
• Concern for the marginalised
• A desire to serve and help others
• Flexibility and tolerance
• The ability to organise and manage people
• Talent in art or graphics
• Good communication skills
• Commitment to being a team player
• Enthusiasm for learning new languages and cultures

Adapted from Wycliffe UK

What Does Literacy Work Involve?

The purpose of literacy work is for literacy consultants and supervisors to work with local community members to teach people to read and write, to endeavor to establish literacy as a community value, and especially to "open" the translated Scriptures to people.

In many language programs, literacy work goes on side by side with Bible translation and also mother tongue Scripture promotion.

Literacy consultants work with mother-tongue literacy supervisors to provide:

• vision and planning guidance
• field training
• technical input
• mentoring

Each literacy supervisor handles the management of literacy for their language group which includes:

1. Local training, supervision and administration
• organizing and teaching courses
• training and supervising literacy teachers
• training writers
• office and program administration
• planning and strategizing
• networking with local churches, educators and leaders
2. Material production in the language
• drafting and publishing primers for educated and illiterate language speakers
• facilitating the publication of many other book titles on various topics (e.g. health, development, educational, humorous, historical, Scripture related)

• producing training materials

This Gungu man is probably looking
at the alphabet for his language
for the first time. (Uganda)

Local Languages Endorsed

The Ugandan government has adopted a bill mandating the development of an educational policy that includes the national (local) languages, alongside English. It stipulates that local languages should be the language of learning in primary 1-3. By passing this important bill the government recognizes the contribution of local languages in the overall development of the country.

Literacy Facts

• International Literacy Day (September 8) is an occasion to remember that we should not take literacy for granted and to applaud the work of literacy workers and volunteers whose efforts make a difference to people’s lives.
• Reading provides opportunities for individuals and communities to better themselves through improved health, higher paying employment and many other ways.
• Literacy is a foundational skill, which gives entrance to the universe of books, to the Internet and to the Bible in a person's mother tongue.
• Reading provides access to information, to instruction and edification.
• Writing furnishes a means for expression and a method for the preservation of culture and for the dissemination of information.

Find out more: Statistics