Beyond Literacy – by Mike Mtika

I just returned from three months in Malawi and had the opportunity to see first-hand the transformation taking place in the lives of the people we are serving in the rural areas.

One day, I visited one of our adult literacy groups. Pamoza formed these groups to address the high illiteracy levels in Malawi — more than 40% in the country overall, and higher in the rural areas, especially among women.

It was not surprising to see that most of our adult literacy students were women, given the statistics, but what struck me was the amount of knowledge they were obtaining from these classes.

One of our adult learners, Nancy, is a leader in her church. She received a Bible from us in 2013.

Nancy told me what the adult literacy class means to her: “Many people think we just learn how to read and do some arithmetic, but it is so much more than that. We also learn how to manage money, how to cook, how to take care of our health, and how to improve our farming so we can grow more crops. You see, adult literacy also involves learning life skills.”

Your help is a life-altering gift to the people of rural Malawi. Thank you!