Literacy projects in
China, the United States, Nigeria, Senegal and the United Republic
of Tanzania are the winners of the five UNESCO Literacy Prizes* this
year. The laureates were proclaimed by the Director-General of
UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, on the recommendation of an international
jury. A programme in Spain was also awarded an Honourable Mention.
The theme for this year’s Prize was “Literacy and Health”, in
particular, literacy related to general health care, nutrition,
family and reproductive health and health-related community
development.
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The UNESCO International Reading Association Literacy Prize is awarded
to the Community Education Administration Centre, Longsheng Ethnic
Minority Autonomous County (China). This Centre is based in a remote,
rural and mountainous area located in the north-east of Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region. The Region has a large ethnic population and a high
illiteracy rate among its women.
One of the two UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes goes to the Children’s
Book Project (United Republic of Tanzania), a non-governmental
organization (NGO) that works to develop a solid reading culture, for the
development of a literate environment. Thanks to the production of books
in Kiswahili and the training of teachers, writers, publishers and
illustrators, it seeks to promote a reading culture among young people and
adults by strengthening the local publishing industry.
The other UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize awards the men and women of
Tostan (Senegal), an organization working with rural communities
throughout the country. The work focuses on empowering women and
communities. The project helps dealing with such issues as reproductive
health, female genital mutilations, and contributes to community
development through the respect of human rights.
One of the two UNESCO Confucius Prizes for Literacy is attributed to Reach
out and Read (United States), an organization that works closely with
health care infrastructures – urban health centres, neighbourhood clinics,
hospitals and public health departments – to reach low-income children
most at risk of school failure by offering literacy guidance to their
families and promoting a reading culture.
The other UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy is awarded to Family
Re-orientation Education and Empowerment, FREE (Nigeria), an NGO working
to establish an effective network for community development through
programmes aimed at various beneficiaries, especially women and girls.
The Honourable Mention of the UNESCO International Reading Association
Literacy Prize is awarded to the Fundación Adunare, CODEF Adult Education
Centre (Spain), an NGO working to build a society that encourages critical
thinking and forges relationships through dialogue, through its programme
Education of Disadvantaged Groups, also addressing migrants.
The UNESCO prizes are awarded annually in recognition of particularly
effective contributions to the fight against illiteracy, one of UNESCO’s
priorities. They call attention to the efforts of thousands of men and
women who devote themselves year after year to advancing the cause of
literacy for all.
The award ceremony will take place on 10 September 2007 in Bamako (Mali)
during the African Regional Conference in Support of Global Literacy.
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* The US $ 20,000 UNESCO International Reading Association Literacy Award
was founded in 1979 thanks to the International Reading Association.
The two US $20,000 King Sejong Literacy Prizes were created in 1989
through the generosity of the Government of the Republic of Korea.
The US $ 20,000 UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy was established 2005
through the generosity of the Government of the People’s Republic of
China.
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