Celebrating International Literacy Day

woman reading a book outside on the grass

September heralds in autumn weather with its warm days and crisp evenings, a harbinger of winter in the wings, and it brings with it a day to celebrate literacy. International Literacy Day, September 8, was first declared in 1965 as a day to “raise awareness in the hope that it will enable increased accessibility to education in developing nations”, According to information found on the World Literacy Foundation’s website. Their motto, “Read. Write. Empower” is explained in their mission statement:

The World Literacy Foundation is a global not-for-profit organisation working to lift young people out of poverty through the power of literacy. We believe that every child should be able to read and write so they can enjoy lifelong learning and empowerment. We are committed to building strong partnerships, providing assistance to grassroots literacy organisations and maximizing our impact through innovative solutions that bring quality education materials to classrooms across the world.

The foundation focuses its work in several areas including efforts in the areas of book distribution, mobile learning, and advocacy and community mobilization. Community projects supported by the WLF include community-based libraries, community-based reading programs, solar panel tablet devices, and the fun of phonics. Visit the World Literacy Foundation website for more information about their projects and opportunities to help.

Carl Sagan said, “Frederick Douglass taught that literacy is the path from slavery to freedom. There are many kinds of slavery and many kinds of freedom, but reading is still the path.”

At Pine Valley Apartments, we have an amazing community full of people from diverse backgrounds. Help spread the word and read a book in honor of international literacy this month. Head to the Elkton, MD branch of the Cecil County Public Library to see what resources are offered, including information about community literacy resources, and celebrate literacy this month. Thanks for reading our post today.