Afghan Women/Girls reach 4th Grade Literacy

Dear Friends,

2014 was such a wonderful year for the Afghan Institute of Learning’s (AIL) Mobile Literacy Program. We were able to offer 16 mobile literacy classes in 2014, with 520 women and girls graduating from these classes. Approximately 80% of students enter the class knowing at most the alphabet. At the end of the four month long course, 80% are able to read at a fourth grade level – a feat that takes 18 months in a traditional literacy class.

The women and girls report a new sense of self-confidence that comes with being able to read and write. Some are able to help with family businesses; others are able to find employment now that they can read. They report being able to communicate with friends and family around Afghanistan and the world after learning to operate a mobile phone. Finally, they develop friendships during the class, and knowing how to operate the phones gives them a way to stay in touch with their new friends, something that would ordinarily be quite difficult for the women.

Habiba is a 16-year-old girl who had not had the opportunity to attend school. She said “I not only learned to read and write in four months, I also found my place in the world. This class helped me to find out who I am and helped me feel like a member of the community. I have started a new life with lots of new people who are helping me to make a brighter future for myself. This class has changed my life in so many positive ways. In addition to this, I have learned many life skills. I heartily thank this AIL Learning Center for changing my life.”

Aziza is a 19-year-old student in Habiba’s class. She said, “I never imagined that I would learn to read and write in such a short time, but this AIL class has paved the way for me to access my dreams. I am not the girl that I was before. Everything has changed about me. My negative mind has turned to positive. I have a sense of responsibility now. Attending this class has helped me to understand the reason why humans were created. I can now easily communicate with others, and I really enjoy living. Thank you AIL.”

When AIL began the Mobile Literacy pilot classes in 2012, we believed that they would help students to learn at an accelerated pace. We didn’t anticipate that giving students access to a mobile phone would have such a dramatic impact on their lives, but now that we know, we firmly believe that this class is a wonderful way to teach women and girls to read.

We are excited to report that new classes are beginning this month, and hope that you will continue to support our efforts to offer this amazing program to as many Afghan women and girls as possible. Thank you!

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your support of AIL’s Mobile Literacy Program, which combines AIL’s proven literacy curriculum with texting to increase the pace of learning. 2014 has been an exciting year for our Mobile Literacy Program. Thanks to generous GlobalGiving donors, as well as funding from other sources, we have been able to offer 16 mobile literacy classes to 480 students.

As we had said before, when we began the classes, we expected that combining literacy with texting would help the women and girls to learn to read much faster than in a traditional classroom. We did not expect that the women would have their eyes opened to a whole new world. One young woman said, “I like to communicate with my family, but I was not able to without help. I was uneducated and ashamed of myself, until I began attending the mobile literacy class. The class changed my life, and made me think more positively about myself and the community that I live in. The teacher helped me to believe in myself, and to explore my interests. I know that I am really going to enjoy my life now.”

Another woman, a mother, said, “My son has been living abroad for many year. I miss him so much, but it has always been so difficult to talk stay in touch with him. This class has taught me how to use a cell phone, and now I can call my son. In addition, I am learning to read and write, which will allow me to text with my son and make it even easier to stay in touch.”

As you can see, not only are the women learning to read and write, a whole new world is being opened to them. Some women are able to communicate with family around the globe, some are able to keep in touch with the new friends they’ve made in class, and all leave the class able to read, write and use a mobile phone. Thank you for helping to make this possible.

We have attached our year-end newsletter to this report and hope you will take a few minutes to read it. 

• Year-End Newsletter (PDF)