What does it mean to learn reading and writing as an adult? What are the challenges, and how does it change your life? We posed these questions to learners from our African partner countries.
What does it mean to learn reading and writing as an adult? What are the challenges, and how does it change your life? We posed these questions to learners from our African partner countries.
Isabel Ventura Jasse, born in the 1970s, lives with her husband and her children in Vila Sede, Mozambique. Due to her disability, she is confined to a wheelchair. She has been taking part in a literacy course since 2023.
I wanted most of all to be able to write my name and my husband’s name. This way I can sign important contracts and forms and know what and where I have to fill things out.
There were no schools nearby when I was born; they were all very far away from where we lived. Because of my disability, I’m confined to a wheelchair and very restricted in my ability to move about. And then there was the armed conflict that lasted for 16 years in Mozambique, which also affected the district we then lived in, Muanza.
The most difficult thing was learning math, to understand the language of numbers. My trainer helped me a great deal with that and not only taught me math but also to read the alphabet. I was always regarded as an equal by my trainers and my fellow pupils and not discriminated against because of my disability.
My life has changed for the positive, and my relationship with my family and the community has gotten better. I feel more respected and better integrated. I can write my full name, can do basic math, know how to make tomato jam and how I can put my money into a savings plan.
I advise everyone, and especially people with disabilities, to not have any fear and register for a literacy course: It makes life easier for you in the community, and you can help shape the public political process. When you can read and write it’s also much easier to sign bank papers and other documents.
Fernando Timóteo is in his early 40s and lives with his family in Vila Sede, Mozambique. He lives from catching fish, which forms the basis for his and his family’s existence. He has been taking part in literacy courses since 2021.
I wanted, most of all, to be able to write my name, but also to be able to learn more about subjects like Portuguese and math.
We were many children in the family and my father couldn’t afford to send us to school. Instead, I had to learn how to fish when I was very young in order to support the family. In those days, in our community, school didn’t mean much; lots of adults had no education.
Because of my age and also because I was a man in the middle of many women in the class, I was often scoffed at. It wasn’t always easy for me to integrate myself in the class. Also, we didn’t have enough school books, and without the explanatory drawings it was sometimes difficult to understand the material. It was also difficult for me to learn the alphabet by heart.
Many things have changed for the better in my life. I can now add contacts in my cell phone and help my children with their homework. Besides that, our teacher taught me a few new fishing techniques and showed me how I can set up a savings plan.
I would especially like to encourage men to conquer their shame and take part in a course. Reading and writing will make your life easier!
To be able to read and write is not a natural matter of course for many people. There are still at least 750 million people around the world who cannot read or write, two-thirds of them are women. Due to that, their participation in social and economic life is strongly restricted.
In Africa especially, the illiteracy rate is still high. DVV International is committed to enable access to education for as many people as possible in its African partner countries. Sustainable educational structures are essential for this to happen. DVV International carries out lobby work and advises governments, reenforces educational institutions and develops concepts for innovative educational offers for adults.
The literacy courses supported by DVV International meld reading, writing and numeracy skills with, for example, areas like health, farming, business startups or civic education. This benefits women in particular and promotes their independence and participation in community life.
DVV International operates worldwide with more than 200 partners in over 30 countries.
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