Can you imagine never learning to read? Over two hundred and fifty million women in South Asia can’t read, and it can affect every area of their lives, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I’d like to share a the story of two women. You can see a video about the first at the link below. She quit school when she was a little girl and never learned to read. Her family was very poor. They didn’t have electricity or television—they didn’t even have good water to drink. She had to walk several miles to go to school, and she didn’t have nice clothes to wear. The other kids made fun of her. One day, she wasn’t able to turn in her homework because she didn’t have any paper. The teacher was so upset that he punished her in front of the whole class. She was so embarrassed she refused to go to school any more.
So, she grew up and got married, but she never learned to read or write. She was embarrassed at church, because she couldn’t read her Bible along with the pastor. And, she was sad, too, because she knew that reading the Bible and learning God’s Word was the best way to learn more about God.
The second story I want to share is the story of Dayita. Her family was poor and she began working as a seamstress to help provide for their needs. She deposited her earnings in the bank only to discover that her husband was withdrawing the money and spending it on alcohol. She considered opening a separate account, but she couldn’t read or write to fill out the forms or manage her finances.
Literacy ministries helped both of these women learn to read and write. It helped empower them with the resources they needed to care for their families. It boosted their self-confidence and helped them develop their sense of self-worth. But it did even more. It taught them more about God, how to read and study His Word, and how to grow closer in their relationship with Him. Would you pray with me that every one of the women in South Asia who cannot read would discover the life-changing power in God’s Word for themselves?
Illiteracy in South Asia
