UNESCO Promotes literacy for all as a tool for personal empowerment and social and human development.

This is particularly relevant to women and girls as UNESCO statistics state two thirds of the 796 million illiterate adults are women while more than half of the 67.4 million children out of school are girls. Do keep an eye on the literacy section of the UNESCO website to learn about the theme for 2011:
http://www.unesco.org.uk/literacy#literacyday

Message to Soroptimists - start planning now what you will do to mark this important day. Will you raise awareness, provide service or raise funds for much needed books? There are plenty of ideas to be found if you search the Programme reporting database – put “International Literacy Day” into the Keyword Search.  Also there is a template press release available in the Members area of the website under Communications.

Clubs in the UK could do no better than raise some funds for Book Aid International (BAI).  BAI believes ‘That Books Change Lives’. Books and libraries are a crucial resource in sub-Saharan Africa. They are vital for quality education, to raise literacy levels, provide information and aid development. It costs on average  just £2 for BAI to source, select, pack and ship one book to schools and libraries in some of the poorest areas of the world. To find out more about their work visit their website: http://www.bookaid.org/

Fundraising ideas:

1. ‘Reading Diary‘ - used successfully by some clubs in previous years is still available
2. ‘LiteraryQuiz‘ - New this year from BAI. This can be downloaded and sold for a nominal amount to raise funds and a small prize awarded to the winner. Answers will be sent on request to the club member organising the quiz. Please email APD for Education.
3. ‘Give up a Glossy’ – give up your glossy magazine for just one month or donate the equivalent value.

If these ideas are not for you then look at BAI’s ‘Get Fundraising info pack 2011‘ for many more ideas.

Whatever you do remember that just £2 could provide a book for a school library, for a mobile library used extensively though not exclusively by girls, for a Women’s Reading club in Malawi or for a Women’s Resource Centre in Zimbabwe.

Happy to have books!