Literacy Provides Seeds of Hope

CRWRC Newsroom | December 8, 2009

Give the gift of literacy to someone like Jane. Donate online: US | Canada

"I helped plant this field," Jane said with a quiet pride as she looked over the lush, green field of maize and soybeans. "We used to scatter the seed, but now we plant in lines. It is much better for the plants and easier to work in." This is just one of the many things Jane learned after completing a recent eight month literacy program with CRWRC’s partner, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) in Kaberamaido, Kenya.

A mother of six and life long member of the village of Otuboi, Jane has learned more than just seeds and planting.  She has also discovered the practical benefits and joy of education. She said, "The learning has made my mind to open up like a flower. Before I was closed, now I am open. I like who I am now."   

Growing up in western Kenya, Jane's parents were unable to send her to school. "My parents were farmers," she said, "and while some of my brothers could go to school, there was not enough money to send me. My parents did not see the need to send my sisters and I to school. Our mother taught us all she thought we would need to know at home."

For many women in western Kenya, this scenario is far too familiar. Families often have many children, and if there are any funds available for school fees, it is the boys who are sent to school and not the girls. While the Kenyan government has deemed primary education free, the additional fees required for a child to attend school are not.  Fees for books and uniforms often make it impossible for children, even today, to attend school. 

This has left women at a disadvantage. More than just reading, writing and arithmetic, literacy can open up your mind - to creative problem-solving, to deductive thinking and to an awakened imagination.

Today, thanks to organizations like PAG, literacy classes are changing the reality of women in rural villages through western Kenya.  This is not only playing a key role in educating women and improving their self-esteem, but it is also having a positive impact on the practicalities of life.

Raising six children between the ages of three and nine would be a challenge for any mother. Doing so without the benefit of an education was extremely difficult for Jane. "My children were always getting sick," she said. "In school, I learned that if I boiled our water before we drank it, germs would be killed. I learned to cover our food and how to wash the pots in a different way. Since I learned these things, my children are not sick anymore." 

Jane has also learned skills to keep her home clean and organized, child rearing basics and new farming skills that have increased the overall level of her crop production. Additional crops have not only benefited the overall health of her family, but have given her a small income as well.

"The joy I have is because I have learned new things. Knowledge has given me joy that I have never known," said Jane.

You can give the gift of literacy to another this Christmas by selecting one of the "literacy" items from CRWRC's gift catalog. US | Canada 

- by Kristen Newicki, CRWRC volunteer