Mozambique: partnership between Adventist Church and government to battle illiteracy
|
An initial 20 literacy centers set to open January 1 in nationwide effort |
|
Miguel Simoque, Education director for the Adventist Church in Mozambique and Maria da Conceicao Bila, secretary of the country's Ministry of Education, agreed to a partnership on November 20 that will result in 20 new literacy centers in the country beginning next year. Less than half of Mozambicans are literate, with statistics even lower among women and those in rural areas, national estimates indicate. [photo: courtesy Mozambique Union Mission]
Under a new literacy education program, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Mozambique is partnering with national leadership to address the country's abysmal illiteracy rates, including among new Adventists.
An agreement signed November 20 by the church's Education director, Miguel Simoque, and Maria da Conceicao Bila, secretary for Mozambique's Ministry of Education, is an attempt to boost the nation's estimated 47 percent literacy rate.
At the signing, Bila noted the Adventist Church's worldwide emphasis on education. With the partnership, "we are saying that we want to learn and grow with Adventists," Bila said.
"The church has grown rapidly among recent migrants to the city, often faster than church buildings can be erected," church leaders said in an outline for the Mozambique Literacy Program, which is set to begin in January. The launch will include 20 literacy centers throughout the country.
Illiteracy among new Adventists is "glaringly evident," the program outline continued, calling for programs that "enable [these new Adventists] to move into the mainstream of church life and [into] more active participation in the economy."
Church leaders in Mozambique report that the country's war for independence, beginning in 1962, and ensuing civil wars left the country's educational infrastructure in shambles, resulting in at least two generations without a functioning school system.
The conflicts and civil unrest also led to mass migrations to the outskirts of the country's urban areas, particularly its capital, Maputo. There, church officials said, many subsistence farming families -- no longer able to practice their former livelihood -- are crammed in ramshackle shanty towns made of mud brick, thatch and tin sheets.
Today, less than half of the country's overall population, and less than one third of Mozambican women, can read and write. In rural areas, an estimated 81 percent of women are illiterate.
Under the November agreement, the Adventist Church is responsible for running and staffing literacy centers throughout the country, which will be located at newly built Adventist churches. Church leaders plan to hire an initial staff of 700. Mozambique's Ministry of Education will train staff and stock the centers with literacy curriculum. "We are praying that God will find resources not only for 20, but for 200 facilities by 2010," Simoque said at the signing.
Simoque and other church leaders said they anticipate the program will not only improve literacy in Mozambique, but also build a strong relationship between church members and the communities where they live.
Digg
del.icio.us
reddit
newsvine
Y! MyWeb
ANN World News Bulletin is a review of news and information issued by the Communication department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. It is made available primarily to religious news editors. Our news includes dispatches from the church's international offices and the world headquarters.
Reproduction Requirements:
Reproduction of information in this article is encouraged. When reproducing
this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must
appear under the headline or immediately following the article. The words "Source:
Adventist News Network" must
be given equal prominence to any other source that is also acknowledged.
Ground 7 News Podcast:
Ground 7 News is a review of news and information issued by the Communication Department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. Reproduction of the ANN podcast is encouraged. When rebroadcasting this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must be mentioned before and after the podcast.
ANN
Staff:
Rajmund Dabrowski, director; Ansel Oliver, assistant director; Elizabeth Lechleitner, editorial assistant; Megan Brauner, editorial assistant. Portuguese translation by Azenilto Brito, Spanish translation by Marcos Paseggi, Italian translation by Vincenzo Annunziata and Lina Ferrara and French translations by Stephanie Elofer.
Top Stories
