"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free..."

This week, as we celebrated World Literacy Day, our email comes from Cora Juettemann, our Operations Development Advisor in Zambia. Thank you, Cora!

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free” -- Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass, the American abolitionist, orator, and writer, was born enslaved in Maryland in 1818. After being separated from his mother after childbirth, he lived with his grandparents for a short time. At six, he was separated from them and went to live on a plantation in Maryland, and then later to one in Baltimore. It was there that Sophia Auld began teaching him the alphabet. While she later changed her mind, and hid any reading materials from him, Douglass continued to teach himself to read and write in secret. He went on to teach many other slaves how to read, and escaped slavery to New York City in 1838. He became the leader of the abolitionist movement in various states in the Northeast, a prolific writer, and a diplomat. Other little facts about Douglass: He engaged in his own protest against segregated transportation by refusing to sit in a segregated train coach in 1841. Seven years later, he was the only African American to attend the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention, and spoke in favor of women’s suffrage.

What Douglass’s story makes clear is that the more knowledge a child acquires, the freer he or she will be. Education is a door to that freedom. Literacy skills are critical in fostering one’s personal development and a building block to independence. Independence not only in thinking, but also in life.

On the 8th of September, the world celebrated the World Literacy Day, a day that highlights the importance of literacy for individuals, communities, and societies. Being able to read becomes even more crucial in the era of information technology, with a vast well of knowledge at our fingertips and more and more businesses are shifting their activities online.

During the closure of schools due to COVID-19, promoting continuity of teaching and learning in literacy cannot be overemphasized. The team of Impact Network is really proud to have found numerous ways to support our learners with literacy radio lessons and stay-at-home-learning packs. Our teachers have written more than 300 African Storybooks for our students to use for future teaching.

Schools are re-opening in Zambia this month. We are not yet free from COVID-19, and will do everything to ensure a safe learning environment for our students and a safe work environment for our staff. Nevertheless, let’s hope a vaccine will be found soon, so we can greet each other again with those special and fun Zambian handshakes. Until then, we must remember Douglass’s words as they continue to guide us in educating 6,000 of the next generation of Zambians.

Thanks, Cora! If you haven’t seen it, Douglass’ descendants delivered his incredible ‘Fourth of July’ speech this year and released it back in July – I highly recommend it: https://www.npr.org/2020/07/03/884832594/video-frederick-douglass-descendants-read-his-fourth-of-july-speech