Literacy is a transformative force. It increases the possibility of earning an income, reduces inequality, improves health indicators, and breaks the cycle of poverty. All of this is possible because it enables access to employment, fosters critical awareness, and enhances economic performance.
However, millions of people around the world still do not have access to education.
Without books, without opportunities
According to UNESCO data, there are 740 million illiterate people worldwide, and 250 million school-age children lack basic reading and writing skills.
Books are essential for the development of cognitive, relational, and professional skills; yet 40% of schools in Africa have few textbooks—or none at all.
The absence of books in many developing countries is a major obstacle to literacy. However, mobile phones are increasingly used in these regions thanks to foreign private investment, UN programs, and foundations committed to bringing technology to even the most remote areas.
Technology in the service of people
UNESCO and programs such as Worldreader promote reading through mobile phones in order to spread culture in areas where it would otherwise be almost impossible. Worldreader has its own app where it offers hundreds of titles—copyright-free and covering different subjects—free of charge.
The results show that this way of spreading reading is more effective and less expensive. It allows books to be distributed in remote areas with limited access, and it has been observed that students show significant improvements in reading fluency and comprehension.
Worldreader has become an important tool for spreading culture and improving the lives of children and their families, while also helping to reduce illiteracy—a burden that perpetuates poverty and limits certain regions of the planet.
Reading as a tool to reduce poverty
Reading as a source of knowledge is a powerful weapon. It generates critical thinking, stimulates creativity, and increases the capacity for effective conflict resolution—skills that are essential for the socioeconomic growth of disadvantaged areas.
In countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, education has become something to be feared by those who exploit, kill, and extort in order to control coltan mines. Access to information has encouraged local people to question the system, inequality, and the status quo—and to consider alternative ways to improve their communities’ quality of life.
It is therefore not surprising that mafias and guerrilla groups often target NGOs, teachers, and church workers. Thanks to education and initiatives such as Worldreader, millions of people will gain access to opportunities that were previously denied to them, breaking the rules that condemn them to chronic and generational poverty. Ultimately, it is a clear example of technology serving people for the common good.
“The object of education is to form beings capable of governing themselves, not to be governed by others.”
— Herbert Spencer
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