Just a thought!

When children are ensured a proper education, it is leads to a cycle where not just them, but even their future generations are educated. Support every child’s right to an education.

Be a part to break the cycle of illiteracy!

Prisons or Preschools?

"Do We Invest in Preschools or Prisons?" challenged the headline of a New York Times editorial by Nicholas Kirstof in which he concluded...

"Look, we'll have to confront the pathologies of poverty at some point. We can deal with them cheaply at the front end, in infancy. Or we can wait and jail a troubled adolescent at the tail end. To some extent, we face a choice between investing in preschools or prisons.

"We just might have a rare chance in the next couple of months to take steps toward such a landmark early childhood program in America. But children can't vote, and they have no highly paid lobbyist — so it'll happen only if we, the public, speak up."

Kristof is referring to President Obama's new "Preschool for All" initiative under which all four-year-olds in low- and moderate-income families will have access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs. The initiative also proposes expanding the availability of Early Head Start and home visiting programs.


-source ExchangeEveryDay

Diwali resolution

If we all do something, then together there is no problem that we cannot solve. Let’s join hands to create a happy environment for the children and ensure their rights are protected.

Happy Diwali!

On this Diwali, Let us all light at least one lamp of literacy to vanish the darkness of illiteracy around the world!

Call for an application

Are you enthusiastic about spreading literacy? Do you know the true value of education? Are you someone who wants to change lives?

If so then you are the type of person that we are looking for! United4Literacy would like to send out its first call for applications for local chapters. We are looking to open local chapters in countries across the world and help spread the light of literacy globally. If you are interested in working with us to open a local chapter of United4Literacy please contact us! You can become the founder of your local chapter and change the lives of countless children by giving them knowledge. Knowledge is the only tool that can help someone achieve their rights. So we should make it the ultimate right! Don’t miss this opportunity, get involved!

-united4literacy.org

Happy Birthday United4Literacy!

Hello Friends,

We would like to say a big thank you to all of you as we celebrate our first anniversary of the creation of United4Literacy! Originally conceived many years ago, united4literacy was actually put on wheels on September 22nd 2012.  We have had a very successful first year because of your support. On Facebook we have reached over 1700 likes and have over 530 friends plus 11 followers! We have reached over 1500 unique visitors on our blog from people in over 20 countries! We also have created a very successful website which has been viewed worldwide. We have used all these mediums to spread our message of how important literacy is for the individual, country and society. We have also raised funds to educate seven children throughout the year! These children will receive quality education that will brighten their future and allow them to open the doors to their dreams. We hope that our efforts have helped to raised awareness of how important education is. We would like to thank you all for your continual support and we hope to spread the light of literacy further in the coming years!

Thank you,
-Nitish Bhatt
 Founder and volunteer
 United4Literacy

And the award goes to...

India needs more of this to excel in the future. There most be recognition for good work of states. This is a big step forward in the state of Chhattisgarh, however we need the rest of India to follow suit!

Chhattisgarh has bagged the National Literacy Award. This is for the first time that state has received awards in all the three categories- state, district and panchayat. State school education minister Brijmohan Agrawal received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of International Literacy Day atVigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on Sunday.

In the state category, Chhattisgarh got the award for successful implementation of 'Sakshar Bharat Mission' in 23 of 27 districts of the state.

Koriya district panchayat president Chamma Devi Singh Pawle and sarpanch of Patna village panchayat in Baikunthpur block, Gayatri Singh, received the awards in their respective categories.

Every year, one state from the country, two districts and three best village panchayats are honoured for successful implementation of Total Literacy Campaign (TLC), Post Literacy Programme (PLP) and Continuing Education Programme (CEP).

The focus of 'Sakshar Bharat Mission' programme is to educate illiterates between 15 and 35 years, especially women. Under the programme, students of Classes X and XI, are motivated to impart education to illiterate children of tribal dominated areas of the state.

During last ten years from 2001 to 2011, the state literacy rate has increased by 5.64%. In 2001, the literacy rate of Chhattisgarh was 64.66%, which increased to 70.28% in 2011. The women literacy rate was more than that of men during this period.

Except Durg, Dhamtari, Balod and Bemethara, literacy programmes are going on in 23 districts.

Courtesy: Times of India

Who We Are

We at united4literacy have advocated many global issue that concern us and we would like to change. As a team of concerned and dedicated youth, we are inspired to bring the change we want to see. One of the global issues we would like to see changed is lack of literacy among the less fortunate. Thus we created united4litercy. We have also advocated for other global issues such as child labour, which is often the parent of child illiteracy. Also, we have tried to bring awareness about global warming and adequate health care services among poorer nations. Our next major concern is child literacy and we would like to see you, our fellow youth and concerned members of society step up and unite alongside us.

The Rights of Learners

"You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins."
-Jim Stovall

In her contribution to the collection, "Respecting the Rights of the Learner", Lilian Katz offered these thoughts...

"Respectful teaching conveys, through the relationship between the teacher and the learner, confidence in the child’s potential ability to overcome difficulties and to persist in the face of some inevitable obstacles. A respectful teacher is one who helps learners of every age who have persisted in the face of setbacks to accept their limitations gracefully and to be satisfied that they have done their very best.

"A respectful teacher is also one who helps students, even the young ones, to evaluate their own accomplishments as they progress, not in terms of whether their work is good or bad, or right or wrong, but in terms of other criteria they can gradually develop the habit of using. For example, you can ask in a serious and respectful way, 'Is the drawing as complete as you want it to be?' or 'Does the story you wrote (or told) include as much detail as you think it should or could?' (Is it complete? Clear? Strong?) Even preschoolers have been observed to respond to such appropriate queries thoughtfully and to indicate the beginning of a life-long disposition to evaluate their own efforts thoughtfully."

Importance of Education

Importance of Education;

Education is not all about studying and getting good marks. It is really a means to discover new things which we don't know about and increase our knowledge.

An educated person has the ability to differentiate between right and wrong or good and evil. It is the foremost responsibility of a society to educate its citizens.

Focus should be on women’s education because the knowledge and empowerment of one woman can bring about a change in a family and even the society as a whole. It is the uneducated and illiterate people who think women are not entitled to education.

A person becomes perfect with education as he is not only gaining something from it, but also contributing to the growth of a Nation.

We must realize the importance of education. We must aim to ensure that each citizen of our nation is educated and independent.

Preschools: Embarking on a Journey of Learning

Preschools can play a huge impact on the mental, physical, and social development of a child. While most parents might consider preschool a choice, fact is that preschool can introduce and prepare children for  road of literacy that lies ahead. Please take a moment to read this article.

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.
-Chinese proverb

President Obama's "Preschool for All" proposal calls for directing funding for low- and moderate-income 4-year-olds through the public schools. Many advocates are encouraging the administration to maintain the positive features of the current mixed delivery system. A recent New York Times article, "Private Preschools See More Public Funds as Classes Grow," shared some interesting points about a mixed delivery system:

"Starting this fall, under an expansion led by [Chicago] Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the number of Catholic schools in the city receiving taxpayer money for preschool will nearly double. Across the country, states and districts are increasingly funneling public funds to religious schools, private nursery schools, and a variety of community-based nonprofit organizations that conduct preschool classes.

"According to the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, about one-third of students enrolled in state-financed preschool programs attend classes conducted outside the public schools. In some states, the proportion is much higher: in New Jersey, close to 60 percent of students in publicly financed preschool are enrolled in private, nonprofit, or Head Start centers, and in Florida, about 84 percent of 4-year-olds in state-financed prekindergarten attend classes run by private, faith-based, or family centers....

“'High-quality pre-K can happen in church basements, community centers, or within the Y.M.C.A., as long as the standards are there,' said Lisa Guernsey, the director of early education at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit policy institute....

"Frequently overcrowded public schools do not always have the space to add preschool classrooms. And many preschool classes — particularly those that serve low-income working families — are embedded in broader day care centers that operate longer days than a typical public school."

Struggle for Equality

"Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together."-Goethe

As we in the North America celebrate July as a month of Independence, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the wisdom of Lilian Katz in her book, Intellectual Emergencies: Some Reflections on Mothering and Teaching:
"I think the great struggle of our time - and no doubt for generations to come - is the struggle for equality. But we might ask: equality of what? People are not equally tall or musical or mathematical or athletic or beautiful; but they are equally human! They are equally human in the sense that they all have hopes, and dreams, and wishes and fantasies and aspirations and fears and doubts. They all want to be treated with respect and dignity and want to feel loved by someone. In these ways it seems to me, all of the world's people have much more in common than they have apart!"

-United4Literacy

Worldwide Reach: United4Literacy Reaches Wide Audience Around the World!

      Over the past 8 months United4Literacy has operated our blog as a means of communicating to a wide audience all over the world to spread our message of how important literacy is to society, countries and people. We regularly posted interesting articles and views from our authors in India and from our team in Canada. On this day we achieved a milestone for our blog. Today, exactly 1000 people have seen, read and been touched by our blog. We are very proud that this wide audience that we have been able to reach has come from all over the world. Our blog has been seen in 20 countries including: Canada, United States,  Russia, Germany, India, United Kingdom, Poland, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Malaysia, Japan, Ukraine, Finland, Argentina, and Bangladesh. We thank all the people who read our blog and we hope that we have motivated you to take action against illiteracy. United4Literacy is committed to spread the light of literacy and we hope that we can reach more and more people and take bigger strides to educate children worldwide in the future.

Like us on Facebook!

Hello Friends!

United 4 Literacy.org is our serious effort to empower the forgotten and helpless children through education around the world. In order to reach out as many people as possible. We are looking to switch from our current Facebook profile, to our Facebook page, making it easier to share and post stories and events! Please 'like' the page below! :)

United 4 Literacy.org
CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD - I hear this in North America so many times. A cliché that is overused completely. But what about so many countries around the world where there are children, but with no future, the forgotten and helpless without education. An education is not just a requirem...
Page: 34 like this

Ideas in Action- United4Literacy Supports Students

Hello Friends,

At this time of the year, the educational worlds of India and North America are completely different. As North American children enjoy their summer vacation, Indian students busy themselves in preparations as the school year starts. For many this school year may determine their fates, for example the crucial and pivotal grades 10 and 12 or the key start to education at pre-kindergarten. It is extremely important that for all children entering school that a fair and equal opportunity for success is provided because it is more important for children to focus in their studies rather than poverty and lack of educational materials. United4Literacy strongly believes that we must provide educational supplies as a part of spreading education. Materials and resources or lack thereof can determine the difference between an achieving and underachieving student. We are extremely glad to report that we have done our annual distribution of educational resources and materials. From textbooks, backpacks, stationary, notebooks and all that lies in between we provided it to five students in the city of Bhavnagar, Gujarat in India. These students will head to school with no tensions about materials. They will be able to focus on their studies instead. We hope that all students have a successful and joyful school year ahead of them!

-United4Literacy

Ecological Identity of Children

Another major part of the development and learning of children comes from nature. Nature provides an invaluable experience and lessons that children will remember their whole lives. Please take time to read the following article: 

"Let the beauty we love be what we do".-Rumi

In her newest book, The Goodness of Rain: Developing an Ecological identity in Young Children, Ann Pelo offers this charge:

"We teach children to write and to read and to navigate mathematical systems so that they can access the world of ideas and questions and intellectual exchange. We teach children how to behave with other people so that they can grow joyful and nourishing relationships. We teach children history, so that they know where they come from, and we teach them art, so that they can imagine what might be, and we teach them science so that they understand the intricate workings of the physical world. This teaching honors and strengthens children's innate social, intellectual and cultural, and aesthetic identities, identities that we value as a society. We don't leave their development to happenstance or luck. Just so, we must nurture children's intrinsic ecological identities with intention and action.

"This is our work as parents, caregivers, teachers: to invite children to braid their identities together with the place where they live by calling their attention to the air, the sky, the cracks in the sidewalk where the earth bursts out of its cement cage.

"When we live this way with children, we align ourselves with the instinct to know the place where we live. Inviting children to know their home ground is our way home, as well."

-Source "Exchange Everyday"

Visual-Spatial Skills

"No sight is more provocative of awe than is the night sky"-Llewelyn Powys

"Children who are more traditional auditory-sequential thinkers learn step-by-step, follow a logical progression from beginning to end, are good listeners, are rapid processors, and think in words. Children with strong visual-spatial skills often think in pictures and images. They are keen observers, learn holistically, and need more time to process information."

This is the observation of Dana Miller in her article, "A 'Rich Diet' for Learning: A Multi-Sensory Approach That Nourishes All Children," in the new Exchange Essential, The Power of Nature to Nurture. She continues...

"Visual-spatial skills relate to how individuals perceive, interpret, and act on the visual stimuli in their environment. These skills provide information about the environment around us and guide us as we move through that environment....

"Children have many opportunities to develop and hone their visual-spatial skills through building, purposeful movement, and daily hands-on experiences with nature. Through close observation of children, we have learned that children’s visual-spatial work is a language that provides them with opportunities to:

• communicate their knowledge about the world as they view it.
• develop and demonstrate their skills.
• convey, process, and learn to manage their emotions."

Achievement Gap

The same problem exists globally. Whether it be in India or the United States we must strive to help students cross the achievement gap! Please take the time to read and consider the following article...

"The head thinks, the hands labor, but it's the heart that laughs" -Liz Curtis Higgs

For decades, educators have raised concerns about the achievement gap — the large divergence in learning achievement between low-income and higher-income students in the United States. With secondary schools increasing reliance on the Internet for teaching and communicating with students, there is a new factor contributing to the achievement gap — the digital divide. In Education Week (January 20, 2013), Helen Brunner reported these trends:

"Access to the Internet has become a need-to-have — not just a nice-to-have — when it comes to student success.... About 70 percent of teens said that the Internet had been their primary source for a recent school project, and at least 65 percent had gone online to complete their homework. Teachers routinely assign homework that requires Internet use to complete, and about half of American schools expect to adopt e-textbooks in the next two to three years...."

"Even if students have reliable Internet access at school, many become digitally disconnected when they leave. This is especially true for those who live in rural or low-income communities, and it makes their homework harder to complete.... The lack of access particularly impacts minorities. Only 55 percent of African-American and 57 percent of Hispanic households are able to access the Internet from home, and only 50 percent of residents in rural areas have high-speed Internet, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce."

"Without access to the Internet, students can't take advantage of the numerous innovative tools that have democratized learning...."

United4Literacy

Poll Results- What You Think!

For the past month, we had a poll to survey the effectiveness of our organization. To do this we asked our viewers to answer if united4literacy had motivated them to take action against illiteracy. We now have the results for this poll. We thank all the participants and are proud that all of you reported that united4literacy had in some way motivated you to take action. This means our first poll had a 100% positive result. If united4literacy has motivated you to take action, then you have motivated us to continue in our efforts. We will continue to unite for literacy and be on the lookout for more posts, comments, opinions and polls as we strive to accomplish the dream of global literacy. Thanks to all our viewers from over 13 different countries and we hope you continue to support our  common goals of literacy!
-United4Literacy

Where there is a will there is a way....

This photo is so motivating at many levels......
we have so many children around the world who has potential and willingness to learn and study, let's we all reach out as much as we can and help them to achieve their right to learn and be in school.

Happy Father's Day!

Protect the Rights of Children!

Anti Child Labour day may be over today, but let us never cease our efforts to protect the rights of children. Only literacy can help someone achieve their rights, so lets make it the supreme right!

Education can Change the World!

Heeding the advice of such leaders we can change the world!

Worldwide Anti Child Labour Day!

Today, on anti-child labor day let us all do our part to end child labor and initiate child literacy!

Bring Change-Stop Child Labour!

"Change your thoughts and you change your world"

- Norman Vincent Peale 

Let's work together to change our world! Please help stop child labour!

United4Literacy- Our Website and Blog

Hello friends!

Please take a minute to visit our newly updated website at www.united4literacy.org. We hope this updated website will help in our mission to spread literacy. Please also take a look at our facebook page. Both links are provided to the top right of your screen.

Thanks!
-United4Literacy

Send a Message

When attempting to tackle an issue as great as illiteracy, it is important to obtain the help and support of others. As a student, I was presented with the opportunity of presenting a public speech to my peers and teachers. This speech is centered around the causes, effects and solutions to illiteracy in India. It communicates how important literacy is to the global society. Communication is key and when trying to overcome illiteracy. My speech is below. Will you help send the message?

It was once said by a great leader that “Literacy is the bridge from misery to hope”. But, for millions of children around the world this bridge is left broken, shattered, never to be repaired, for they are uneducated. Illiteracy lives everywhere and is a challenge facing all of humanity regardless of race, religion, or ideology. A country with illiterate children faces many issues. The challenges in India are a crippling combination of cultural, economic, and social issues caused all by illiteracy. Home to the largest child population of 400 million citizens aged below eighteen, the country has one of the most rigorous and competitive schooling systems in the world. However, India also has one of the lowest literacy rates globally. Its structure of education and its societal disparities has shaped the causes, effects and the possible solutions to the illiteracy problem. As an emerging major producer and consumer nation, India must learn to clean-up and overcome the weak and ineffective educational system and seize its future so the next generation can see a literate and soaring India.

To understand illiteracy in India we have to uncover the roots of an illiterate nation. The eighty-sixth amendment of the constitution under article 21a clearly states, “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine”. Nevertheless, this type of law was not implemented nationwide until the Right of Children to free and compulsory education of 2010. The delay in the enforcement of such a crucial right has allowed India to continue to have insufficient and money centered schooling systems. India’s privatized approached to education is what continues to hurt the nation. For the children who cannot attend private schools with their steep fees, there are government schools. However, studies of these government schools indicate that 59% have no drinking facilities, a further 89% have no washrooms and are often short staffed, since qualified teachers work for the highly competitive wages offered by the private schools. Furthermore, it was the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, with a pained tone addressing the issue of child literacy quoted “only 47 out of 100 children enrolled in class I reach class VIII, putting the dropout rate at 52.78 percent”. As the resulting socio-economic effects are triggered we see that India continues to suffer under the burden of illiteracy.

As we explore the effects of illiteracy we see that a country suffers both socially and economically from child illiteracy. It is just common sense that in India the child labour issue is the most infamous social effect of child illiteracy. Child labour is proof by contradiction of a weak educational system. The wide spread poverty causes a vicious chain of both poverty and illiteracy for the next generation. If we explore this cycle many of the social effects become clear. We can start with uneducated and subsequently poor parents who lead to exploitation and child labour since the family cannot afford schooling for the child. This leads to less opportunities and a doubtful future for the child. The cycle continues. Both of the issues of poverty and illiteracy could have been eliminated if the parents of the child were literate and understood the importance of education. We could break this cycle in Indian society if we tackled just one link: illiteracy. The subsequent effects upon the country’s economy are crippling and do not even allow a progressive economy like India to advance to its full potential. According to a new report titled ‘Economic and Social Cost of Illiteracy’ released at the World Literacy Summit at Oxford in association with Pearson, illiteracy costs the global economy 1.19 trillion dollars. India is expected to be the home of 50% of all illiterate people worldwide in the next 50 years. Imagine the colossal burden upon one country’s economy that half of the world’s illiterate people could pose.

Lastly, as a concerned global citizen it becomes vital to offer possible solutions for such a problem. It is crucial to raise the awareness of how important an education is for the people, society and the country as a whole. Among the attempts to cure illiteracy there are undertaking that show that the people of India do care, they yearn to see a shining India. The most successful newspaper in India, The Times of India implemented a “Teach India” goal which calls for support from the general public volunteers to take just 2 hours a week to volunteer and assist them in educating the nation. Furthermore, the government has provided deep insight into the heart of the illiteracy and created the “Midday Meal” program. This program targets rural schools and provides a free meal to the children who study there. Many families with children cannot afford to feed them. The government picking up on this provides meals for children who come to school thus reducing the financial burden to families and educating the child in the process.

Inspired by ideas like these I decided to step up and create a small organization, “United 4 Literacy” to motivate people to take action and appreciate the education that they receive and sometimes do not value fully. Currently we provide the funds in India to educate five children every year who show potential and willingness to study. It is important to realize that change will come only through ideas, an idea by itself may be just an aspiration, but an idea when put into action becomes an inspiration.

Ultimately, literacy is a two sided coin. On one side, if a nation can manage to achieve total literacy than it will reap the benefits of a faultless society and a roaring economy. On the flip side, if literacy is not given total priority by the government and the public of a nation, then the effects can tarnish a nation itself. But, if we put in a sincere effort, and truly unite for literacy, than the dream of a literate nation that the people of India saw since independence can finally be achieved. Only literacy can help someone achieve their rights, so literacy should be made the supreme right. Change will start with building the literacy bridge and end with a shining and excelling India.

Participate in Our Surveys

Hello viewers,

We at United4Literacy give utmost priority to effectively solving illiteracy issues globally. It is very important to communicate with our viewers and receive feedback about organization or illiteracy in general. We would like to request you to participate in our online survey poll monthly. Every month, a new survey poll will be asked. If you could honestly answer these simple questions it would be very helpful. There are 29 days left in the current poll asking about your thoughts of our organization.

Thank you to all viewers,
United4Literacy

Let's all be a Leader!

The Purpose of an Education!

Let's Unite 4 Literacy!

United4Literacy is a venture started to create a chain to successfully educate children in poverty around the world. Through informing our members about our initiatives of helping within our own communities, we plan to create a web page where members can share their experiences and share what they do to help in their own communities. By doing this we will accomplish our only goal, to provide and learn new ideas and insight on how to combat illiteracy among the less fortunate.

 Help us to spread the light of Literacy!

Mission United4Literacy

CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD - 
I hear this in North America so many times. A cliché that is overused completely. But what about so many countries around the world where there are children, but with no future, the forgotten and helpless without education. An education is not just a requirement by law, it is perhaps the most powerful tool a person can possess, and it is a right of every child according to the Convention of the Rights of a Child. But, unfortunately in many places around the world this right will remain a dream. Unless, we the children reach out and empower the forgotten, the child labourers and slaves in remote parts of Asia. They could bring change and solve other issues in our world. This initiative could drive a transformation of our world from a place to live in to a palace to live in. Empowering these Forgotten Children, that is our mission.

The Difference between Something & Everything

If we all try to do SOMETHING, it can merge into EVERYTHING! 

Awareness among the school children

“THERE IS NO REASON, THERE IS NO EXCUSE, CHILD LABOUR IS JUST CHILD ABUSE” - One of the award winning slogans from a student of DAV School, Hehal, Ranchi. As part of “Unemployed and Happy” – a 45 Day campaign against Child Labour, DAV School organised a slogan writing competition on 10th May. The aim of the slogan competition was to generate awareness among the school children about the issues of child labour. After explaining the cause of child labour and the consequences, children were asked to present their views on this issue. Some of the views of participating children were quite impactful!Young children from Ranchi joined us in raising their voice against child labour and its your time. Say NO to child labour. Help us spread the word around by sharing this with your friends and family. 

-Courtesy;Save the Children India.  

‘Our Images, Our Voices’ -A True Story!

“If I can follow my dreams, so can other children like me” says Firoza Khatun. Firoza dreams of being a big time photographer. But it wasn't always as easy to have such dreams. Because she hailed from a poor family, she had to work as a child domestic worker in order to support her family. She would go to school in the morning and then work in the afternoon for a small sum of Rs 350 per month. It was not easy juggling both school and work and it was not fair to the young girl.

A ray of hope was visible to her in 2006 when she went to a drop-in center of Save the Children in her neighbourhood  Here, she learnt about her rights and started to believe in myself. Save the Children had organised a photography workshop called ‘Eye to Eye’ and she was selected for a training course. Here she developed her love for the camera and later joined an advanced course in photography.

October 20, 2011 was a special day in her life. Her first exhibition titled, ‘Our Images, Our Voices’ was opened in Kolkata. Now, Firoza wants to complete her studies and pursue a career in photography. She no longer works as a domestic help. There are many such Firoza’s in our country working as child labourers at an age when they should be studying and building a future for themselves.

How it all began!

Three guys sitting in the university of Berkeley back in 1991 said, we had the privilege of a good education. We should do all we can to give the same privilege to all those millions of under privileged kids in India. The ideas was so simple yet so powerful that Asha now is a 60 chapter strong organization that supports 250,000+ kids in India each year.

-Source Getting to know Asha - Part 4. 

Discover a Leader Within!

Look inward before trying to change the world!

When leaders cultivate compassion by addressing the negativity within, they strengthen their ability to build compassion into the framework of their businesses. This, in turn, directly impacts the implementation of their mission. This requires humility—the recognition that, while compassion is intrinsic to our nature, few of us are completely free of negativity and, consequently, all of us have inner work to do.

Investment for our Future!

Happy Provider Appreciation Day to all Early Care and Education Providers! Thank you for investing in our future!

TODAY
Today like millions of other Americans
I went to work. I didn't design a beautiful skyscraper,
I didn't write a proposal to save an endangered species,
and I didn't drive a bus or fly a plane,
or write a crucial bill that would someday become a law.

However, I did spend time with some very important people.

I read a story to an attorney,
I sang the alphabet song with a Supreme Court Justice.
I ate Lunch with a pastor,
and patted the back of an engineer until he fell asleep.
Taught a policeman how to tie his shoes,
and introduced an astronaut to the color red.

Tomorrow, who knows whom I'll meet,
but one thing is for sure.....
They will be very IMPORTANT
For they are our precious children,
and the hope of our very future.

~~~Author Unknown~~~

Please Share your views!

The ASER 2012 report in Delhi evidences high enrolment, low learning levels, moderately high children-and-teacher attendance in school, withmany class II and IV children sitting in multi-grade classrooms, and a school infrastructure that is inching forward but a long way off from fully complying with RTE guidelines . Private input into primary education continues to rise, be it the growing private enrolment figures in the northern and some southern states, or high private tuition in the eastern states. Both have not been able to prevent the learning dip.The ASER report, over the last eight years, has generated a fair degree of debate.

But few have contested the main ASER finding - strong evidence for low learning levels among Indian children and indications of a declining trend since 2010. Commentators of ASER have several concerns. Some have likened the testing of children to "torture." Others are worried that the year-on-year data that shows consistent increase in enrolment in rural private schools will force government to rethink their policy and cut down on the SSA budget.

Some even exhort the Indian goverment to emulate the successful education model of Finland, where schooling from class I to IX is free of cost, and schools enjoy a great deal of autonomy over curriculum, evaluation and management. With their highachieving children being amongst the best in the world, the Finnish school system has become an object of envy the world over, and a curious case for many researchers.

India is still learning how to make 'learning' its central focus.

-Courtesy: Educationtimes.com

Pledge your support against Child Labour!

What does 'Unemployed and Happy' mean to children?It means children are able to attend school, have opportunities to play, receive affection from parents and enjoy their childhood. Basically, the kind of childhood that you would want your children should have.Children who are into employment are devoid of all these.
It is time their childhood was given back to them. Join our Anti-Child Labour Campaign. Join us on our Face book or just simply like us and pledge your support against child labour!

The Leader of Knowledge

Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate poet, writer, philosopher was the ambassador of Indian culture to the rest of the world. He is probably the most prominent figure in the cultural world of Indian subcontinent and the first Asian person to be awarded with the Nobel prize. Rabindranath Tagore was primarily an educationist rather than a political thinker. He put emphasis on 'naturalism' for framing educational model. In education, freedom is the basic guiding force for inculcating interest within a student who will derive inspiration from nature to pursue any branch of knowledge he likes. As he inspirationally said...

• "I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."
• "Age considers; youth ventures"
• "The highest education is that which does not merely" 
• "The object of education is to give man the unity of truth"

Inspire a Nation

These are some very inspirational quotes by perhaps one of the most inspirational men in history. This man had a dream of a shining India, the same dream that we share. Said by the father of India: Mahatma Gandhi, we hope these quotes will inspire you to take action.   

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live tomorrow."
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history."
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
"A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes."

Pledge your support against child labour.

If you are reading this,you must know you would have belong to a privileged percentage of world's population. You have been to school,learned to read and write,you have had time to play and nurture dreams for your future.However, there are more than 12.6 million children in India,with little hope for a happy childhood.Condemned to a life of labour,they never have chance to go to school or enjoy the company of their friends and family. These children can be found everywhere-in the "dhaba" near your office,sweeping in a neighbour's house,toiling in cotton fields exposed to hazardous chemicals and rolling "beedis" and "agarbattis"in factories.They are children who have lost the chance to study,lost the hope for a better life,lost a dream.

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/United-4-Literacyorg/563893630293412


-Source Save the Children India

Like us on Facebook

If you agree with our mission to spread literacy worldwide please become our friends and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/United-4-Literacyorg/563893630293412. Change will only come through ideas, an idea by itself may be just and aspiration, but an idea when put into action becomes an inspiration. Be a part of this inspiration and change!

United4Literacy Has a New Look!

United4Literacy now has a new website. We have created a new interactive website for our viewers to visit and keep up with our efforts to spread literacy. Please visit our website united4literacy.org. Also, follow our posts on Facebook and be our friends on Facebook to join the literacy chain.

Learning while advocating global issues!

Young Leader from 2012 reported that while working on local environmental issues they  developed several skills

Importance of Children

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa had said, 

“"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."'
Children are important assets to a country. They are the future that leads a nation towards progress and development, if they are given the right of kind of nurturing ground. Conversely, every single child who is robbed off a happy childhood, is a question mark on what is the idea of development a country follows.
The Union Cabinet on April 18 approved the National Policy for Children, which will help guide implementation of programmes and schemes for children. The policy gives utmost priority to right to life, health and nutrition and also gives importance to development, education, protection and participation. Dr. Ishaprasad Bhagwat, National Health Manager, Save the Children, India appreciates approval of the policy but feels that while “in many areas, there will be the policy to look up to while drafting programmes. However, it will not be there for other areas.” 

Like us on Facebook!

Please join us on facebook and like us! For regular updates please visit our facebook page
Spread the word, invite your friends. Let's discuss literacy!

Inspriational Undertakings

Our main focus at United4Literacy is not just to show literacy in need of reform, but also to show how literacy can be reformed. It is crucial to raise awareness and communicate with the general public worldwide just how important literacy is a people, society and nation. Among attempts to cure illietracy there are some undertakings which are truly inspirational and show that the people of India do care, they yearn to see a literate and shining India. The most successful newspaper in India, The Times of India implemented a "Teach India" goal which calls for support from general public volunteers to take a few hours and assist in teaching India.Another initiative taken by the government in fact is the Midday Meal program. This program provides a free midday meal for a child as long as they attend school. This results in less financial burden on family and the child being educated in the process. It is important to realize that change comes from ideas, ideas are aspirations, but if put into action, they are inspirations.

Illiteracy in India-In Requirement of Fundamental Reform

It was once said by a great leader that “Literacy is the bridge from misery to hope”. (Kofi Annan, 1997) But, for millions of children around the world this bridge is left broken, shattered, never to be repaired, for they are uneducated. Illiteracy lives everywhere and is a challenge facing all of humanity regardless of race, religion, or ideology. A country with illiterate children faces many issues. The challenges in India are a crippling combination of cultural, economic, and social issues caused all by illiteracy. Home to the largest child population of 400 million citizens aged below eighteen, the country has one of the most rigorous and a competitive schooling system in the world. The nation also has one of the lowest literacy rates globally. India’s structure of education and organization society has shaped the causes, effects and the possible solutions to the illiteracy problem. As an emerging major producer and consumer nation, India must learn to clean-up and overcome the weak and ineffective educational system and seize its future so the next generation can see a literate and soaring India.

Easter Camp 2013-Volunteering: It Can Make a Difference!

It is a great pleasure and feeling of accomplishment to spend time with kids at Easter camp as a volunteer counselor  To start making a difference within your community, you can get involves at your local schools, churches  or community centers, or just in your neighborhood. Day camps like this can really boost the confidence of a child and help them learn valuable life experiences while having tons of fun! 

A few hours a week can build a strong and healthy community

Welcome to United4Literacy-India Team!

Many members have responded to our call for member worldwide and so we are delighted to announce United4Literacy has expanded our members to create United4Literacy-India. Our Indian team will work directly to create literacy awareness in India and support local children by donating time and efforts within our communities. They share our common goal of seeing a literate India and literacy being promoted worldwide. The youth of India must step up and be the change they wish to see. We wish to see a literate and shining India!

-United4Literacy

United4Literacy invites new members 2013!

United4Literacy welcomes members to join our organization this year. Currently it is vacation time in India and we aim to educate as many children as possible in the coming school year. 

To all viewers, if you are enthusiastic and have a passion to promote education and literacy we would like to hear your ideas, thoughts and advice to succeed in our goal of promoting literacy in India and worldwide. 

To get in contact with our team just fill out the application on our website united4literacy.org, leave a comment on a blog post that interest you, or like us on facebook!

Thank you to all for your continued support and looking forward to have a year full spreading literacy!

Right to Education Bill

Despite the illiteracy issues in India, there have been significant steps taken by the government to fix this issue. The Right to Education bill was passed 4th of August 2009. This bill serves as a reminder that illiteracy will only be conquered when the peoples' voices are heard through the government. The bill's guidelines are like this: 

- Compulsory education for children between 6-14 yrs
- Rs 10,000 fine if any child prevented from going school
- No selection and screening process to choose preference over candidates
- No physical punishments
- States need to plan techniques to monitor advancements in the program
- Roping in private schools to keep 25% seats reserved at entry level
- Banning capitation fees

Indian National Official Literacy Statistics

According to the Seventh All India Education Survey by the National Council of Educational Research and Training some of the startling illiteracy statistics are:

• Less than half of India's children between the age of 6 and 14 go to school
• A little over one-third of all children who study in grade one reach grade eight.
• At least 35 million children aged 6 - 14 years do not attend school.
• 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.
• High cost of private education, need to work to support their families, and little interest in studies are the reasons given by 3 in every four drop-outs as the reason they leave.

The True Heros

Free the Children is an organization that embodies the morals and rights we would like to see in our world. From their small beginnings to their global success projects I find that they are the true heroes in the quest for literacy.
For great ideas and ways to play your part within your own community can come from their website: http://www.freethechildren.com/

Other organizations that have taken this initiative include:
Save the Children
UNICEF
abc life

It is the drive of organizations like these which often inspire people to unite to fight illiteracy.

Drop-out Rates

India's illiteracy problem is often accompanied by another education issue: drop-outs. The high drop-out rate in India is primarily caused by child labour. A poor family may need a child to work to feed the family and regard schooling as a financial loss. So, the children may stay in school until they are old enough to work and then drop out. They are those who are considered "literate" but do not have enough education to find a well paying job. This raises a startling question about how many people have enough education to hold a decent job. It was a quote by the Prime Minister of India addressing this issue on a pained tone, "only 47 out of 100 children enrolled in class 1 reach class 8, putting the drop out rate at 52.78%"
-Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, 2005