Depending on where you live, you may take your ability to read for granted. In the United States, 14 percent of adults cannot read at a basic level. This includes 19 percent of high school graduates. It seems like a small percentage until you realize this means there are 32 million illiterate adults in the United States. Worldwide, there are 775 million people who are illiterate. For a variety of reasons, 66 percent of them are women. The literacy rates are lower in poorer countries with smaller governments; South Sudan has the worst illiteracy rate at 73 percent. However, many of these countries are taking steps to increase their literacy rates. Most countries and governments realize how essential literacy is to economic and social success in an increasingly globalized world. Here are just some of the ways countries are attempting to combat adult illiteracy and encourage more reading in the world today.

Sheik Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi launched a reading initiative sponsored by the police and local government. The goal of the initiative is to encourage reading and cultural advancement across the entire community with the encouragement of the police department. People were encouraged to read books about other cultures and peoples. This not only encourages literacy, but also encourages people to broaden their education and minds. These types of initiatives are becoming more common in many countries.

Joining International Efforts

UNESCO’s Dakar location supports the Education for All Acceleration Initiative. This initiative is a group joined by several African nations to combat adult illiteracy. The national governments in Niger and Senegal have submitted plans to eradicate illiteracy by 2023. Africa is the only continent where more than half of adults cannot help their children with their homework due to illiteracy. Non-formal education is the key to improving literacy among adults who in many cases are not able to attend full time education. There are now several other nations that have joined the initiative. The initiative and UNESCO provide guidelines and support to assist these nations in developing education infrastructure and using finances effectively. The nations are encouraged to make a big push to educate as many of their adults as possible by setting goals for various years.

Working with Non-Profits

The India Literacy Project is a volunteer-based non-profit organization that works with the Indian government. Their goal is no less than a 100 percent literacy rate in the world’s most populous country. The current adult literacy rate in India is 74 percent. The Indian Literacy Project works in over 1,200 villages and has benefited over 300,000 people. They are certainly not the only group working on literacy, but are a good example of how a volunteer organization can make a difference alongside of the national government.

Each of these methods contributes to an overall strategy of combatting illiteracy and improving the lives of the people in their nations. In future it will be interesting to see how these statistics change on a global scale.