Improving literacy amongst the destitute

Actionaid has developed the "Reflect" programme, a novel approach to literary education. "Reflect" works with learning materials that "reflect" the real life situation of the students; in the pilot projects these are mostly rural situations connected with harvest, land ownership, marketing, but also with health, family planning and so forth. The participants themselves are involved in the development of the programme and acquire skills in reading, writing and numeracy that they are able to use immediately in practical situations. Three plot projects in Bangladesh, Uganda and El Salvador achieved a basic literacy of 60-68% within one year for the enrolled students. Most participants spoke of having achieved better self-esteem, better problem-solving ability and improved relations within the community. This led, in some cases, to positions in community organizations and thus promoted democratic processes. Discussion within the learning groups often led to community level action (health promotion, cooperatives, etc). "Reflect" initiatives are now (1997) planned for 18 countries.