Women in Literacy Grants Awarded

ProLiteracy Worldwide
Tuesday, 3 July 2001

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, July 3, 2001—Ten organizations will share a total of $60,000 in grants from Women in Literacy/USA (WIL/USA), a global women's literacy campaign supported by Laubach Literacy. Each year WIL/USA gives grants to community-based organizations that integrate literacy instruction with participatory problem-solving approaches that enable women to make lasting social and economic change for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Groups receiving grants this year focus on helping women improve their literacy skills to develop economic self-sufficiency and community leadership. This year's grants of $6,000 each have been awarded to the following programs:

Refugee Women's Alliance of Seattle, WA, to provide an integrated English as a Second Language (ESL)/health education class for refugee and immigrant women. Health care professionals will team with the students to help them share their new knowledge about health issues and resources with other women in their community.

Literacy Volunteers of Cibola County of Grants, NM, to help build a book collection for literacy students in a local women's prison and to provide videotaping materials so that participating mothers can be filmed reading to their children. Each inmate's videotape and the children's book she reads will be sent home to her children. The grant will also be used to sponsor tutor-training programs at the prison.

The International Institute of Rhode Island of Providence, RI, to help newly arrived refugee women improve their basic literacy skills, understand American culture, build self-reliance, and develop leadership skills. Group workshops will address topics in the areas of education, employment, finances, and health.

The Learning Connection for Adult Education of Brentwood, NY, to provide Internet access to multi-media computers and training. Low-income women in the program will use the Internet to develop their English language and basic literacy skills, increase basic cultural literacy, and find better jobs through the use of educational Web sites.

The Brick House of Turners Falls, MA, to provide a weekly training program that teaches computer and job readiness skills and stress management. The project will also offer participants a mentoring relationship to assist them in pursuing further educational and employment opportunities.

The East Texas Literacy Council of Longview, TX, to help low-income women improve their literacy skills and take a pre-Certified Nursing Assistant (CAN) course. This course will prepare them to be successful in a CAN program offered at a local college. The grant will also help pay for course materials, uniforms and shoes, and college course tuition.

The Lake County Library Adult Literacy Program of Lakeport, CA, to enable staff to work with Hispanic women with limited English literacy skills and/or workplace skills. The project will help these women form a support group that will address the barriers to greater independence, such as lack of family literacy, computer skills, child care, and transportation. The support group will augment the English language learning each woman does with individual tutoring.

The Learning and Loving Education Center of Morgan Hill, CA, to support literacy and computer programs and the THRIVE program (Talented Hearts Reach Independence VIA Enterprises). THRIVE workshops will help minority women increase their literacy and workplace skills through the establishment of micro-enterprises (cottage industries).

Literacy Chicago of Chicago IL, to offer a Women's Health and Literacy class for at-risk women with low reading levels who are currently enrolled in tutoring classes. At the end of the course, class participants will organize and host a health fair open to all Literacy Chicago students.

Pima College Adult Education of Tucson, AZ, to offer a discussion group for students with disabilities. Through a series of meetings and focus group discussions, women will develop personal awareness of disability rights and self-advocacy. An outcome of the project will be a set of recommendations for adult education programming and advice to women literacy students with disabilities.

Laubach Literacy is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to helping women, men, and families acquire the basic educational skills needed to improve their lives and communities. Founded in 1955 by world literacy pioneer Dr. Frank C. Laubach, the organization today has 1,100 member programs throughout the United States and 70 partner programs in 39 developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Its U.S. publishing division, New Readers Press, produces and distributes 500 titles of adult educational materials to 46,000 organizations, schools, libraries, and other institutions nationwide. For more information, please call Laubach's toll-free number (888) 528-2224.

For more information, or to contact ProLiteracy Worldwide, see their website at: www.proliteracy.org