BELRAG

Basic Education & Literacy Rotarian Action Group

We are a network of Rotarians throughout the world who have a special interest in acting upon the mission and goals of Rotary International related to

1. Alleviating illiteracy. 2. Enhancing literacy teaching and learning globally, and 3. Helping to provide materials and equipment for literacy education at different levels.

Literacy has been an emphasis of Rotary International since 1986, and the RI Board has made the promotion of functional literacy — defined as the level of reading and writing skills necessary to participate fully in everyday life — a special focus until the year 2000.

It is estimated that a quarter of the world’s population is functionally illiterate, but the problem cannot be blamed solely on a lack of educational opportunities. Educators agree that a host of factors beginning with early child development contribute to the mastery of basic literacy skills. Now is the time for Rotary to become a contributing factor as well. Get involved in your community today.

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The consequences of literacy are remarkable. When 146 adult literacy students were interviewed about the benefits of learning to read and write, here’s what they had to say:

Without a single exception, the students, both men and women, the quite young and the very old alike, all claimed that literacy had improved their lives. This was irrespective of the level of literacy attained and the subsequent context of its use. The students reported that their minds “opened up.” “Everything improved.” “Everything became up to date.”*

* https://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/7870/2936/HTML/69728/601en.pdf