Before their hopes are vanished

A month from now, on the 8^th of September, it’s celebrated globally the International Literacy Day.

On this day, UNESCO reminds the intenational communities of the status of literacy and adult learning.

In my prespective, this global effort needs to be taken by us as a personal challenge and responsibility as our own localcommunities are affected by this problem too.

Mozambique alone has rates higher than the average for the Sub-Saharan region.

The average rate of illiteracy among adults nationwide is about 54% where its verified that this rate is higher in rural areas than in urban districts and more marked among women than men.

One of the factors contributing to the low enrolment and high drop-out rates in adult literacy and education programmes in Mozambique is the fact that most of the population is of Bantu extraction and does not have an adequate command of Portuguese, which is the country's official language and language and instruction.

In recent years, only 40% of the Mozambican population could read and write Portuguese. Most of these, lived in urban areas.

Literacy is a human right. A tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development.

Educational opportunities depend on literacy.

Most children in Mozambique are deprived of books. If and when they see one, these are behind glass shelves, protected. In this sense, they never really have the chance to grow and become other than what their reality allows for.

When it comes to education, these children stay home.

Girls often work around the house

and take care of they other children, missing out on the opportunity being a child themselves. Boys if ever, get sent to school but

the again, the drop out rates are high.

It is complicated to provide this right to most children in rural areas, when in the households, there is barely enough funds for food and at times water.

Literacy I see, as one of the solutions and hope for a meaningful future and breacking of this cycle of poverty.

As parents, friends and part of the communities, we should be concerned for the education of children from the less advantaged backgrounds.