Literacy for empowerment and emancipation
This summary is intended both for educational advisers and coordinators who would like to structure literacy courses, and for literacy teams to run their courses.
During the year 2021, a peer-to-peer reinforcement session was organised within the framework of the ’Form to Transform’ collective around emancipatory literacy. The following organisations participated : APEF in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Concept and UGPM in Senegal, and Duhamic Adri and Adenya in Rwanda.
For the teams from Duhamic-Adri and Adenya, these exchanges enabled them to "think ahead about the implementation of their literacy programme for the farmers they support, within the framework of the "Récasé-Tuzamukane" project".
"These webinars brought new knowledge. The exchanges, which were very enriching, inspired us at different levels : to define the profile of our future literacy trainers, to prepare the delivery of our training courses and to envisage post-literacy follow-up.
We believe that the participatory and inclusive development of the literacy activity with the learners is the key to success. The participation of learners in the development of themes, planning or within a management committee, is a dynamic to be encouraged within the literacy programme.
For the APEF in the DRC, these exchanges are : "opening up to different approaches and perspectives", after a first literacy experience with women in Bukavu.
"The partners highlighted the importance and benefits of the principle of involving older learners in tutoring or mentoring new ones. We also set up a WhatsApp group with the learners so that they could share information and/or ask questions."
Post-training follow-up strategies also inspired the participants in the discussions : reading corners in communities, managed by literate people, seem to be a good idea for continuity of learning, ownership by the learners and empowerment of this activity within their community.
So, if you too are wondering about setting up a literacy programme or if you would like to run literacy training courses, the summary that was co-constructed following these discussions and which can be downloaded below, is made for you !
