Implanting literacy and growing a library from the ground up

Literacy in Bloom will address the lack of access to learning resources for unschooled adults, illiterate women and bilingual children in the developing world using Bloom - a free interactive software. The ability to read, write and understand numerical concepts has an enormous impact on a person’s life, as it is integral to social, political and economic empowerment. Literacy is essential for lifelong education and opens doors for a higher standard of living and self-esteem.

At a global level, statistics indicate:

• 774 million adults cannot read or write
• Two-thirds of illiterate adults are female
• 220 million children cannot access education in their own language

Literacy in Bloom enables those with little computer experience and no internet access to write level-appropriate electronic resources in mother tongue vernaculars. These resources can then be uploaded to a virtual library and disseminated from phone to phone for others to read, whist additional features allow interactive learning through quizzes, games, comprehension activities, audio files and a facility for users to ask questions and send feedback.