When most people think of learning to read, children come to mind. But 773.5 million adults — almost the entire population of Eastern and Western Europe combined — are still illiterate.
“My parents are farmers. They don’t know how to read and write,” says 10-year-old Thinley Pelzom from rural Bhutan.
Thinley's parents couldn’t help her with schoolwork, and that’s why she grew up unable to read at the same level as her peers. For other kids in her same situation, chances are they’ll grow up illiterate like their parents. Up to 17 percent of children in the developing world will not enroll in primary school because they don’t have access to one, can’t afford it or must help out with work on the farm. In the tiny mountain kingdom of Bhutan, 36 percent of public schools are not accessible by road and around half of adults are illiterate.
About the author
Tina Sciabica
Tina Sciabica is executive director of READ Global, an international nonprofit working to provide education and economic opportunities to rural villagers in South Asia. She was formerly deputy director of the Social Venture Network, founded and ran a legal recruiting business, and started her career as a corporate litigation attorney.
