Burkina Faso: Empowering Women Through Literacy


Overview


Bible Society Australia is partnering with Bible Society Burkina Faso to launch a women’s literacy program, incorporating income-generating activities in local languages. The initiative empowers women with reading, writing, and socio-economic skills, fostering spiritual growth through Bible engagement.

Burkina Faso faces a dire literacy challenge, with one of the world’s lowest rates. In 2019, only 29.7% of individuals aged 15 and above were literate. This issue predominantly affects women, who comprise over half of the population. Millions of women, including countless adolescent girls, lack access to fundamental literacy. They seek knowledge for spiritual growth, socio-economic integration, and self-sufficiency. This literacy need is emphasised by the local churches partnering with the Bible Society of Burkina Faso (BSBF). This challenge is compounded by the region’s instability due to terrorism since 2015. Illiteracy perpetuates high female unemployment, low income, financial instability, poor health, and adverse family impacts.

Statistics:

  • 75% of women over 15 are non-literate (2019, National Institute of Statistics)
  • 3,880 women will graduate over the 4 years of this literacy project
  • 19,400 people will be indirectly impacted through these literacy graduates

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