Imagine someone your mom’s age not being able to write. She’s afraid to hold a pen. She is too self-conscious to write on paper, so she just practices writing in the dirt. She’s a hardworking mother who takes responsibility for the family finances, but she never had the opportunity to learn even the basics that would allow her to keep a record of those finances, or even sign her name to official documents. Many beneficiaries of Invisible Children’s Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) program are adults who missed the opportunity to attend school because of abject poverty or disruption from war in Northern Uganda. Because of this gap, the Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) initiative was born. Through VSLA, they are learning to save money and take loans to start small businesses. Through FAL, they are learning to read and write. This week, 444 beneficiaries of VSLA completed FAL training. They are now at ease holding a pen and doing simple arithmetic of their sales and savings records. They enjoyed this program and say they want it expanded to accommodate more people. A two days’ refresher Training of Trainers was also recently conducted to help FAL facilitators prepare for the next batch of adult students. The goal is to have another 45 groups participating in the FAL program by the end of 2012. It’s incredible to see an adult take heart and learn basic numeracy; I love this capacity building program. -Eric
