Literacy development can be a family affair.

When we started supporting the education of children in the Kelafo area, the women of the villages asked if they could receive support as well. They wanted to learn how to read and write as most of them had never had a chance to attend school. The Al’Aamen village rallied together and built their own school building. The building was primarily for the education of the local children but the women began using this space in the afternoons. Once word got out that adults could learn how to read and write we were swamped with requests from surrounding villages. After a few years of successful fundraising, we were able to expand our classes so that we now offer literacy classes in 6 different villages.

We have had an incredible response this year and currently have 624 students registered from six villages. The age of our students is 16 and up and over 80% of the students are female. Women and their teachers also use these classes to talk about issues that affect them such as FGM, early marriages and gender inequality.