EDUCATION/LITERACY

Most of the school age population in the communities where Concern America works are unable to attend school. Consequently, almost half of the adults have received no formal schooling at all. Crude footpaths are the only access for many to their respective municipal centers where schools are located. State-sponsored teachers have no formal commitment to the communities and their attendance in their schools is irregular. In addition, the cultures and languages of most indigenous communities have always been ignored within formal school systems. Concern America trains education promoters and literacy promoters to bring education to remote villages in projects which respect and foster local cultures and languages.

One of the most important ingredients of civil society is a literate and informed populace. The adult literacy work of Concern America is crucial to its development work. This quote from the series, Training for Transformation, highlights the relationship between education and development, "Development and education are first of all about liberating people from all that holds them back from a full human life. Ultimately, development and education are about transforming society."