About

Just imagine for a minute that you are not able to read this sentence. You struggle to secure a better paid job because you cant read or write. You cant read a simple street sign to find directions. You cant count your change, so you are easily swindled. For any of us, this would make our life inconceivably harder. There are many people for whom this is day-to-day life. Im running a half marathon to raise money to kick start a project whose aim is to eradicate illiteracy from Bangladesh. Why Bangladesh you may ask? The official literacy rate there is only 57% in comparison to 99% in the countries where you and I are living in. And thats the official rate. The reality is probably worse. With a fast growing population, there are about two million new illiterate people added every year. The programme Im supporting is called Nishi. It is an adult literacy and numeracy movement that was running in the 90s in rural communities in Bangladesh and helped one million people become literate. Despite this incredible success, the government subsumed it into its own work which then stopped when funding stopped. Working with people who first made this project a success, I want to revive it. Almost four out of every five people who went on that course sustained an effective level of literacy 12 months after the programme. If you believe like me that literacy is a universal right, please support me in this endeavour (and in my sporting challengeits my first half-marathon too). Thank you for your support! Marina