Family and Community Development

The protection of human rights and the elimination of poverty are a shared responsibility. GLP subscribes to the philosophy that having access to literacy is a human right. However, this also means that to be committed to providing access to literacy compels us to also work for poverty reduction through practical contributions towards a more equitable and fair distribution of the benefits of development.

GLP therefore supports an orientation that urges development practitioners to use the human rights tools at their disposal, especially the right to access to literacy, in the struggle against poverty.

A Philosophical Example

How can we link literacy to on the ground transformation of family and community life? Take the right to health, for example. A pro-poor health policy is not just about supplying medicines but would include education and information campaigns concerning the main health problems in the local community, including methods of prevention and control. Also, an education campaign would seek to bridge misunderstandings and misinformation about marginal groups in given region. Further, the right to health requires that transparent, accessible and effective monitoring and accountability mechanisms be established, providing community members with an opportunity to understand if they truly have the quality of life they ought to within available resources. All of these initiatives demand a population with a functional grasp of literacy!

Community Capacity Building Programs

GLP continues to explore the connections between literacy and community development. We continually explore novel ways to support the role of the community, including community-based organizations (CBOs) and other local level institutions, as the primary vehicle to facilitate empowerment.

Family-School-Community

Family members--mothers, fathers, grandparents, older sisters and brothers--play a major role in helping children learn to read and in improving their reading ability. Family involvement is such a strong predictor of reading and other academic success that GLP sees the development of High Literacy Clusters (HLCs) as being dependant on encouraging school communities, serving children in kindergarten through third-grade, to form an explicit family-school relationship. We need adults to:

• Read to and with their children,
• Read themselves, and encourage their children to read,
• Keep a variety of reading materials in the home,
• Have high expectations for their children's reading achievement, and
• Help teach their children to read and respond to their children's interest in books,

GLP believes without a doubt that through following the above suggestions children in HLCs will be better readers than children from families who do not participate in these activities. We develop and distribute take-home activities that allow practice in reading across a range of skill areas. Under our "Culture of Reading" methodology for HLCs, families are encouraged to read to and with their children every night for 30 minutes, in addition to working with their children on developing skills associated with reading books.

Stakeholders: Their Roles and Responsibilities

As Part of the "Culture of Reading" Campaign:

Students are provided with many opportunities to practice and improve their reading skills, by families, learning partners, and teachers in schools.

Teachers and school administrators get support for in-school reading activities. They also help motivate families and other learning partners in the community to extend these activities at home for children who most need help in reading. They are able to clearly describe what the school expects of students to families, students, and the community.

Families will find out what they can do to help their children succeed in reading and writing. Families will be encouraged to participate in school based activities such as the PTA and after school enrichment programs. For families who cannot come to the school, they can still help at home. Regardless of their own reading skills, parents have opportunities every day to build on the learning that takes place at school.

Reading just 30 minutes a day to or with their child, for example, significantly increases the child's reading ability. If there are adult literacy issues in the family, the family should reach out to learning partners to help facilitate this component.

Tutors and other learning partners in the community are invited to volunteer time to read to and with children, and support teachers and families by engaging children in extended-learning activities, including the at home activities. Learning partners also play a crucial role in families with adult literacy issues.