Our Work Connecting poor, rural communities with the vital knowledge they need to improve their lives

The Problem

Illiteracy and access to knowledge are two of the key problems that inhibit socio-economic development in developing countries. Rural people lack the vital information they need to improve their lives, and because most are illiterate, they cannot benefit from many educational methods. Furthermore, lack of electricity and poor roads isolate these regions and further complicate development efforts.

Traditional Solutions

Traditional approaches that aim to overcome these global challenges include:

  • Access to knowledge. Local government and NGO extension workers travel to villages where they share knowledge about agriculture and health. This method of delivering information is expensive, costing US$20-$40 per trip. It is also inefficient because each visit occurs infrequently (often only once per year) and covers dozens of topics—causing many residents to forget information that is not immediately applicable.
  • Literacy. Rural schools aim to teach literacy skills but insufficient funding makes this very challenging. Schools do not have enough textbooks, learning materials, or even trained teachers to meet student needs. Classroom sizes range from 60 to 100 or more students, meaning teachers cannot give personal attention to each student. Furthermore, children rely solely on these schools to gain literacy skills because most have illiterate parents.

A wealth of crucial knowledge is already available within developing countries; the problem is reaching those who need it most. We designed the Talking Book specifically to address these global problems.

Our Solution

At Literacy Bridge, we share locally-relevant knowledge through the Talking Book with people who lack literacy skills and access to electricity–empowering them to improve their literacy skills as well as the health and income of their families.

The importance of content to the success of our work cannot be overly emphasized. We rely on local organizations to create content. They are the experts on what information to spread, while we are the experts on how to efficiently spread it to areas with inadequate infrastructure.

This year we will put Talking Books in the hands of thousands of families, farmers, and students through our partner organizations. Interested in partnering with us? Learn more here.