Adult Literacy

Have you ever wished there was a great miracle cure for poverty? Literacy, especially adult literacy, has been labeled such a great miracle cure! Why? Several factors go into this distinction. The definition of literacy itself gives us several concepts to consider:

“Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen, and use numeracy and technology, at a level that enables people to express and understand ideas and opinions, to make decisions and solve problems, to achieve their goals, and to participate fully in their community and in wider society.”

In villages where literacy is increasing, those areas are seeing social and economic gains. In a special report published by Gospel for Asia, Karen Mains explains:

“Much data … gives good cause to make the assumption that learning to read and write is one of the ‘great miracle cures.’”

Adult literacy resources empower people to improve their lives and enable them to participate fully in their culture and community.

Illiteracy is a kind of intellectual limbo.

Even if the person is naturally very intelligent, if they are labeled “illiterate,” people may automatically assume they have a decreased mental capacity. Illiterate and unintelligent are often not one and the same. This preconceived idea makes it harder for illiterate people to get hired. They could be a very good salesperson or very proficient at a trade, but those skills are often overlooked because the person cannot read.

Being able to read impacts daily life.

The literate person can understand traffic signs, read news and weather reports, write reminder notes and shopping lists, read books, understand prices at the market, help their children with homework, and much more. Almost every aspect of life changes when someone learns to read. Technology is also highly dependent on being able to read. When an adult can’t read, these everyday tasks are difficult and sometimes impossible.

Literacy impacts parenting.

Think about how often you read in a given day. When parents can read, they can understand information written on medicine bottles, read helpful books, understand warning labels, and help their kids with schoolwork. When a parent is illiterate, they can’t help in these ways. Illiteracy adversely impacts their children.


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