Yemen tackles problem of illiteracy among women

Fatima Saleh, 45, learned to read and write only a year ago: “We were like cows. Whenever I saw anything written, I wanted to read it but I couldn’t. I could not even write my own name. Now I feel as though I am born again.”

Fatima lives in the Sanhan District of Sanaa, Yemen, where there are 50 UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)-supported literacy centers, with 2,068 female students. The centers are part of a UNICEF project to accelerate girls’ education. There are also 39 literacy centers in the governorates of Abyan, al-Hudeidah and Lahj, teaching 945 illiterate women. All the centers were opened in September 2006 and are scheduled to run until September 2008. Read how the low-cost centers are helping women learn how to read and write in IRIN News online.