More Information on Beyond Borders’ Literacy Work

Beyond Borders does all of its literacy training through native teachers who have received training to teach literacy and who achieve and maintain a level of proficiency in their work. Beyond Borders does all of its work in Haiti through local partner organizations.

The literacy training program for adults lasts lasts for two years. Participants usually achieve a basic level of literacy in the first six months. The additional time is used to increase fluency and comprehension, and to begin applying their new literacy skills to achieve a basic education and build better lives.

Beyond Borders just completed the development of two new adult education programs in collaboration with Haiti’s largest micro-finance organization—Fonkoze. This program includes ten books that focus on sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, children’s rights, and parenting. An additional program focused on sexual and reproductive health is also available.

Literacy training eventually leads to economic activities that will improve the lives of the participants. The great majority of the participants in the adult literacy program are women. Many of these women qualify to participate in a micro-lending program supervised by local organizations. This allows many of the women to start small businesses and permits them to avoid the high interest charged by local loan sharks.

Literacy Training for Unschooled At-Risk Youth Beyond Borders funds another literacy program designed for older children and youth who have never attended school and have lost any chance of starting a traditional school program because of their age. Many of the young people in this program are at risk for being sent away by their families to live in unpaid domestic servitude for an urban family. Others lived in servitude but were retrieved by their families so they could return home and participate in this program. This program last four years or as long as it takes for the youth to be mainstreamed into the age-appropriate grade level.

Many of the adult participants in the literacy program belong to local churches and have, as part of their motivation for wanting to learn to read and write, the possibility of being more active in their church. Participants are offered a variety of books through the course of their participation in the program, including the Bible. Beyond Borders welcomes all people without regard to their church affiliation or faith. The only requirement for participation is that someone be motivated to learn to read and write and be able to attend classes regularly.

A $300 contribution to the Literacy Scholarship Fund is sufficient to cover the entire cost of training for the full two-year period.