Ensuring Books for ‘Half the Sky’ – How to Get Girls More and Better

Join the Global Book Alliance for the launch of its Open Book Partner Series with the second of two webinars that discuss the importance of literacy as a transformative experience for girls around the world. Access to books is at the heart of literacy. Literacy ensures that girls build confidence, develop self-esteem and believe in their ability to achieve their dreams. However, girls face a greater risk of illiteracy than their male peers. This risk currently translates into approximately 496 million adult women around the world being unable to read and write. Ensuring access to literacy for girls and women will have benefits for future generations. And as with other programs focused on gender it is a force multiplier reducing infant girl mortality, ensuring better access to health, increasing the number of girls who go to and stay in school, and finally increasing women’s agency, leadership skills and engagement.

The webinar will feature a keynote address by Bodour Al-Qasimi, President, International Publishers Association, as well as remarks from Lily Nyariki, Books and Learning Material Lead, Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Akoss Ofori-Mensah, Managing Director, Sub Saharan Publishers, Heather Simpson, Chief Program Officer, Room to Read, and Kerin Ord, Global Education Lead, World Vision."