1 OUT OF 5 PEOPLE IN THE WORLD CANNOT READ OR WRITE

People completely or functional illiterate face the prospect of poor health outcomes, welfare dependency, gender inequality and a lack of social cohesion.

Studies have shown the mother´s literacy level is closely related to child health and survival.

Girls are still more likely than boys to never attend to school, and their incomes are 60-75% of men’s salaries.

Literacy significantly enhances a person’s ability to access, understand and apply information about health to make accurate decisions.

Literacy promotes gender equality as a fundamental condition for the full enjoyment of human rights, provide better skills for work and socio-economic participation by women and men.

Illiteracy costs the global economy $1.5 trillion annually. Literacy is the foundation of community and economic development.

192 million people are unemployed worldwide, many unable to find a decent livelihood due to a lack of literacy and numeracy skills.

85% of all teenagers who are involved in criminal activities are functionally illiterate, high crime rates have a direct relation to low literacy skills.