Literacy education is the foundation of buildOn’ comprehensive Community Education Program. Often, parents and other adults who help build a school for the children of the community can't read or write themselves. Through this program, buildOn provides adults, as well as older children not in school, access to the benefits of education along with a sense of dignity and empowerment.
In addition to reading, writing, and basic math and numeracy, classes cover agricultural topics, sanitation and hygiene, and other issues relevant to local community development. By identifying distinct developmental needs and the resources available to meet them, villagers move toward self-reliance and sustainability.
buildOn works with villagers to help them assess their community's situation, prioritize their needs, and recognize their resources, thereby unifying and working together to formulate strategic plans for progress.
While improving the devastating illiteracy rates in some of the poorest communities in the world, our efforts also produce other benefits. These include increased participation in school building projects, stronger relationships between students, parents and teachers, and enhanced communication between community members and local government agencies.
buildOn currently conducts Community Education Programs in Malawi, Mali and Nepal with much in the way of success to report. Speaking of which…
Success Stories
Writing Names in Bhalapur, Nepal
by Skyler Badenoch, Manager, International Programs
Last fall, I toured buildOn’s efforts in Nepal, where we not only help villagers build schools but aid them through Community Education efforts that serve women, men and older children who have not previously enjoyed access to education. Among those buildOn schools I visited was a six-classroom primary school in the village of Bhalapur that holds four classes, six nights each week.
What I witnessed was remarkable. In one classroom, women were learning to write their names for the first time – a direct result of our Community Education efforts. In another, I spied a 13-year-old and asked why she was taking the class.
“I am one of six children, and the only one that my parents didn’t send to school,” she responded. “When I watched my siblings read and write, it made me want to do the same.” When I enquired what she had learned so far, she responded that she could write her name. When I asked if I could see, she headed for the chalkboard to pen it in Nepali. When she turned around, everyone gave her a huge applause.
Though I can’t decipher Nepali myself, the look on the girl’s face as we applauded was one of empowerment and self-worth. And that about says it all.
Community Education in Mali
by Chata Doumbia, a mother of four in Tiefagala, Mali
In 2003, our village had a 90% illiteracy rate and a two-classroom school made of mud that lacked even windows and doors. That year, buildOn helped build a block of three classrooms and latrines. And three years later, buildOn returned to build a second block. The school went from 86 children and no trained teachers to 184 children and four government teachers who are doing a great job.
The community has also benefited from buildOn’s Community Education Program. Roughly 85% of adults are now literate. With literacy comes knowledge and ability, and most have seen economic improvements due to agriculture and income-generating projects we learned from buildOn. Most villagers have also begun using latrines, attending health centers, and using family planning and vaccinations.
Before buildOn, I had only two years of education and was barely literate. They took the time to teach me how to read and write. And now I teach others the same. I received 60 days of training and frequent follow-up from buildOn and became a Community Education facilitator in my village for three years. After completion of the program, I was awarded a scholarship to become a certified health agent.
As a mother of two girls and two boys, I am thrilled to be able to help them with their homework and I encourage them to try hard. They have gone further in education then I ever could have imagined. Thank you, buildOn, for helping to bring light into our darkness and new life to our community!