The power of books, is the power to bring change

It’s shocking that here in Manchester, we have around 81,000 children living in poverty. There are many causes of poverty in Britain and this is why Wood Street Mission are supporting these families. 

Among WSM’s projects is the ’Books Forever Appeal’ and last year, over 20,000 books were given out to Manchester’s kids. Please get involved by donating a new or good conditioned pre-loved book to Wood Street Mission, 26 Wood Street, Manchester, M3 3EF, the UK. 

THE NEED TO READ - A GLOBAL EMERGENCY 

Central to discussions on fighting poverty and climate change is finding long term solutions. For this we need a new perspective. According to UNESCO, an estimated 750 million adults lack basic reading and writing skills. Around 496 million of these are women. 

In the UK, the National Literacy Trust report that 7.1 million people have ‘very poor literacy skills’ and according to the Ministry of Justice; ‘57% of adult prisoners had literacy levels below those of an 11-year old’. 

TIME FOR CHANGE, A NEW PERSPECTIVE IS NEEDED 

According to the Literacy Foundation, “illiteracy in individuals stems from different, generally inter-related causes which, together, create a series of often insurmountable barriers for those concerned.” 

Illiteracy is preventable, solvable and is something we can cure. But you may still question, why are people illiterate in 2023? And what causes illiteracy in both developing and developed nations?