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<DIV>Thanks, Tom, for bringing the contributions of these women to our
attention as we approach International Women's Day. It is always a
pleasure to read your messages.</DIV>
<DIV>June Justice Crawford</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 3/5/2008 6:39:59 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
tsticht@znet.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>March
8th, 2008 is International Women's Day<BR><BR>Honoring Three Women Literacy
Workers<BR><BR>Tom Sticht<BR>International Consultant in Adult
Education<BR><BR>For many years Namtip Aksornkool of Thailand was a senior
specialist in<BR>literacy and women's education at UNESCO. In addition, she
served for a<BR>number of years as the lead coordinator for UNESCO's
International Literacy<BR>Day. It was in this latter capacity that I had the
chance to work with<BR>Namtip during my years as a member of UNESCO's
International Literacy Prize<BR>Jury that selected the annual winners of
UNESCO literacy prizes. Through her<BR>work, Namtip helped to focus literacy
efforts in many nations on the<BR>particular needs of women and girls. I was
able to obtain and read reports<BR>and books she prepared calling attention to
the needs of women for literacy<BR>education and the efforts of literacy
workers.<BR><BR>In one of these reports, "On the Ground: Adventures of
Literacy Workers<BR>(UNESCO, 2002) ," Namtip related some of her own
adventures in Namibia to<BR>educate adults about HIV/AIDS. She made the point
that "Literacy workers<BR>must be prepared to travel by all modes of transport
- helicopters, trains,<BR>jeeps, four wheelers, horses, camels, mules,
elephants and, yes even by a<BR>human being!" Namtip herself made many
missions to nations by these various<BR>means of travel. She recorded some of
her impressions in On the Ground and<BR>stated, "Authorities always stipulate,
often in official policy papers, how<BR>important women's empowerment is to
their country's development. Yet<BR>experience shows that they rarely act on
their word - to their own economic<BR>detriment." With this sort of
straightforward commentary, unusual for a<BR>UNESCO official, Namtip was able
to achieve many important literacy<BR>outcomes for women and girls. It was
always a pleasure for me to have a<BR>coffee with Namtip in the café on the
7th floor of UNESCO Headquarters in<BR>Paris while discussing adult
literacy education needs and UNESCO's work to<BR>meet these needs. A good
example of informal education for me!<BR><BR>>From 1985 to 2001,
Martha Mvungi of Tanzania served in the position of<BR>President of the
International Literacy Prize Jury. She brought to the Jury<BR>a deep
understanding of the African region and the meaning of the saying<BR>that "it
takes a village to raise a child." Martha focused upon the role<BR>of
the community in supporting literacy programs and she was always sure
to<BR>remind the Jury of the special needs of women for literacy, especially
the<BR>intergenerational effects that educating women can have on
children's<BR>education. This is one of the kinds of "multiplier effects" that
the Jury<BR>noted can result from adult literacy education. This refers to the
common<BR>finding that when adult's acquire literacy, this doesn't just
increase<BR>their literacy, it frequently also increases their economic,
community, and<BR>civic standings.<BR><BR>In her 1996 report to Mr. Federico
Mayor, then Director-General of UNESCO,<BR>following the Jury's meeting,
Martha wrote a section which called for<BR>placing more emphasis on the
multiplier effects of adult literacy<BR>education. She said, "The Jury is also
of the view that emphasis on the<BR>intergenerational transfer of educating
the family can reap the long-term<BR>effects of sustained literacy and
education. Once the family, and in<BR>particular the adult, is literate, the …
chances that their children will<BR>also go to school are very high, … This
message has to be said over and<BR>over to encourage efforts in literacy to be
appropriately directed towards<BR>adults and the family."<BR><BR>Later this
intergenerational effect of adult literacy education was also<BR>expressed as
educational policy by Rosa Maria Torres of Ecuador, with whom<BR>I worked for
a couple of years when she was a member of the UNESCO<BR>International
Literacy Prize Jury in 2001 and 2002.<BR><BR>In an online internet article
posted in 2003 (The fundamental linkages<BR>between child, youth and
adult learning
and<BR>education.http://www.iizdvv.de/englisch/Publikationen/Supplements/60_2003/eng_someconclusionsandelements.htm)<BR>Rosa
Maria stated that, "Adult Basic Education and Learning (ABLE)
cannot<BR>continue to be viewed in isolation, as a separate educational goal …
but<BR>rather as part of the overall education, training and learning system
and<BR>policy at national and international level. …To educate children, it
is<BR>essential to educate adults, not only (illiterate, poor) parents
and<BR>caregivers (including teachers) but adults in general. Because it is
adults<BR>and the adult society who make the critical decisions that affect
children’s<BR>well-being and development, at home, at school.... This is the
importance of<BR>educating adults, for their own sake and for the sake of
children, for the<BR>present and for future generations. …In fact, … the
children’s right to<BR>education should include the right to educated
parents."<BR><BR>These three women exemplify the efforts of thousand of
literacy workers<BR>around the world, both in the hardships they have endured
in adult literacy<BR>education and the emphasis they have made on the literacy
education of women<BR>and families. It was a privilege for me to have had the
opportunity to work<BR>with all three of these outstanding women to further
the cause of adult<BR>literacy education. I am honored to know them and to
recognize their work<BR>this International Women's Day.<BR><BR>Thomas G.
Sticht<BR>International Consultant in Adult Education<BR>2062 Valley View
Blvd.<BR>El Cajon, CA 92019-2059<BR>Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133<BR>Email:
tsticht@aznet.net<BR><BR><BR>----------------------------------------------------<BR>National
Institute for Literacy<BR>Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing
list<BR>professionaldevelopment@nifl.gov<BR><BR>To unsubscribe or change your
subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment<BR><BR>Email
delivered to jjc1945@aol.com <BR><BR>Professional Development section of the
Adult Literacy Education Wiki
<BR>http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">It's Tax Time! <A title="http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001" href="http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001" target="_blank">Get tips, forms and advice on AOL Money & Finance.</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>