Don't get me wrong — the ability to read and count offers a variety of benefits for the women who participated in our adult literacy program in Assam. After years of providing a thumbprint signature, women can sign their name to receive their paycheck, or even open a bank account. After a lifetime of not knowing if shop keepers at the market were giving them the correct change, or taking a portion of their meager earnings, they are now financially literate. They are now recognized by community members as being educated — and able to help their children succeed in school so they never have to know the realities of illiteracy.
But when I was in Assam last month, what really got our Director of Programs excited about the results of the program were the less tangible benefits:
the women want to learn more now. Some want to learn English or develop their abilities in their native Assamese — but mostly they have gained confidence in their ability to learn, and they want to learn whatever they can.
Talking to women on various tea estates I heard the same sentiment over and over again.
pak Gallery:
http://www.seetube.110mb.com/
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