In absolute figures the number of literate people is the highest in history.
But in fact at least 14 % of grown-ups are illiterate. In 2015 58 million of children and 63 million of teenagers did not have access to basic and secondary education and were not able to learn how to read and to write. (For more details see Global Education Monitoring Report.)
9 out of 10 country with the highest illiteracy rate are African countries!
And two thirds of 781 million illiterates worldwide are women.
In sub-Saharan Africa every second woman can’t read or write.
I was one of these women.
I know how it feels to be illiterate. I had to make a lot of effort to acquire those basic skills as a grown-up.
Therefore I’m going to fight for all children, especially African girls, to really learn how to read and write at an early age.
Educated women and men, who are able to read and write, are less likely to mutilate their children. I am convinced that education is crucial in the fight against FGM.
Waris Dirie
