ProLiteracy Worldwide

All around the world, literacy has the power to change lives and transform communities. Equipped with basic reading and writing skills, African women can start microbusinesses, poverty-stricken Colombians can resist gang violence, and Indian families can fight AIDS. New courage and capabilities are born—and they all come to life when people learn to read.
Here at ProLiteracy, we’ve seen proof that literacy can change the world. As part of a vi­brant global network made up of more than 2,000 domestic members and international partners, we’ve worked together to reduce poverty, improve public health, and advance human rights in communities and countries around the world.
We work with adult learners on literacy and social change initiatives that address some of the world’s most pressing issues, including:
Health—Developing medical facilities and services, creating campaigns to prevent or treat disease.
Economic Self-reliance—Starting microenterprise, microcredit, or agricultural projects, and making improvements to community infrastructure.
Environment—Protecting natural resources and lessening the impact of environmental damage
Education—Creating educational programs and schools for children or adults.
Peace—Resolving conflict and increasing understanding among different populations.
Human Rights/Status of Women—Promoting human rights and reducing abuse of women.

The Expanding Access program partners literacy programs with social service providers to bring adult literacy services to people who need them.

For more than 40 years, New Readers Press(http://www.newreaderspress.com/) , ProLiteracy's publishing division, has provided educators with the instructional tools they need to teach adult students and older teens the skills for functioning in the world today.
 
To ensure that our materials are based on sound instructional methodology, New Readers Press solicits feedback from educators during the development process. Our materials are available in a variety of media - program directors, teachers, and students can use the format that best suits their needs. Even our flagship publication, the weekly newspaper News for You(http://www.newreaderspress.com/Items.aspx?hierId=0750) , now delivers articles online (http://www.newreaderspress.com/Items.aspx?hierId=0783) with audio. Endeavor(http://www.newreaderspress.com/Items.aspx?hierId=1220) , the new reading and language arts series, is based on the latest evidence-based research.
We direct our proceeds from sales of materials to support literacy programs in the U.S. and worldwide.

Before ProLiteracy established the National Book Fund (NBF), literacy programs that couldn't afford to buy books for students and instructors simply did without them. Students shared worn-out books with other students. Instructors used cast-off books, outdated resources, and photocopies during lessons. But today, with the help of NBF, we're changing all that.
 
 
In 1995,using only donated funds, the NBF began providing local literacy programs throughout the United States with New Readers Press books and other educational materials. 
 
To date, ProLiteracy has distributed almost 1,500 grant awards totaling more than $2.6 million worth of materials to organizations in 50 states and the District of Columbia. 
 
More than 384,000 adults, youth, and children improved their reading skills as a result of this initiative. 
 
More than 35,000 tutors and literacy volunteers have received the resources they need to provide direct literacy instruction to students.
The NBF funds organizations providing service in the following areas: basic literacy, adult basic education, English as a second language (ESL), and family literacy. New Readers Press, the publishing division of ProLiteracy, provides the books and materials distributed through the NBF.

Through its network, ProLiteracy trains nearly 90,000 tutors and instructors annually to serve adult learners with the most up-to-date methods. Our tutor training curriculum uses blender learning approaches that make it easy for any program to adopt.

Our professional development also includes a wide array of online courses that literacy program staff and volunteers can use to maintain and update their skills. (https://www.proliteracy.org/Professional-Development/Education-Network)

In conjunction with the American Libraries Association, ProLiteracy developed an Adult Learning in Libraries Action Agenda, which provides professional development to librarians to better serve adult learners.

Training and professional development are at the core of ProLiteracy's work.