Women’s Education Partnership Celebrates International Literacy Day
Highlights of our November 19th Celebration
Above, highlights of the day.
Women’s Education Partnership Celebrates International Literacy Day
Highlights of our November 19th Celebration
Although circumstances sadly prevented us from celebrating International Literacy Day formally in September this year, Women’s Education Partnership was delighted to be able to bring together women from all fifteen of our Khartoum literacy circles in November in a joyful retrospective tribute to International Literacy Day and the life-changing work of all our women’s literacy workers and participants.
Our two hundred invited guests included ten women representatives from each circle, 150 in all, together with our literacy facilitators and kind local supporters. The event was attended by several hundred people, including staff from Babikir Badri Scientific Association for Women’s Studies (BBSAW), our respected local partner, Ahfad University staff and their students, Adult Education specialists from Omdurman and members of SIHA.
Above, literacy participants performing a sketch on the benefits of literacy for women during the day’s celebrations.
We were honoured to open the day’s events with an address by Dr Faiza Hussein, Head of BBSAW. Mrs Thoraya Omer spoke warmly on behalf of our literacy facilitators. The day included inspiring speeches, testimonies, dramatic sketches from our literacy circles, an exhibition of handicrafts by our literacy participants, folk dances performed by our Jebel Awlia circle and wonderful music and dancing provided by the African Home Band.
Above, sketch of some of the dancers who performed at the event.
Our International Literacy Day celebration was the first time we have been able to bring together literacy participants from across Khartoum and provided a unique space for them to get to know each other and build inter-community links. It was also an invaluable opportunity for local communities to come to know our work better and just as importantly, for us to learn from them.
We are very grateful to Neimat, our country director and Adila, our literacy coordinator, for all their tireless work in putting together this event and in particular for overcoming so many logistical – especially transport – challenges involved in bringing so many people together from so many dispersed communities.
The day was funded by a one-off individual donation provided specifically for the purpose of celebrating International Literacy Day and no WEP project funds were used.
Below, Mrs Adila Osman, our expert Literacy Coordinator, addressing the audience.
Below, fine examples of handicrafts made by our women’s literacy circles as part of their income generation and skills development work.
See Weaving Brighter Futures and
Towards Economic Empowerment for more on this.
Below, magical moments of music and dancing from the African Home Band.
See them in action here:
Below, more scenes from a unique day.
Learn more about our women’s literacy, orphans schooling and university scholarship projects programmes below:
Opening Doors – Our Women’s Literacy Programme
Our University Scholarships – giving bright young women the chance to go to university
Scenes from Our Orphans’ Schooling Programme and From Hardship to Hope Our Orphans Schooling Programme
Above, scenes from the lives of some of our literacy participants in Khartoum.
Women's literacy in Sudan 