Celebrate Literacy and Foundational Learning with USAID

International Literacy Day: 2023

USAID Education Celebrates Literacy

USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator LeAnna Marr and USAID Center for Education Director Allyson Wainer along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FCDO, and USAID Malawi kicked off the Center for Education’s month-long celebration of literacy in this webinar on Strategies to Boost Foundational Learning.

USAID supports literacy around the world all year long to ensure that all people – especially the most marginalized – have access to quality education in order to gain the foundational literacy skills they need to reach their fullest potential and be productive members of society.

Each year on September 8, alongside the global community, we celebrate International Literacy Day. The theme for 2023 was, “Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies.” It aligns with USAID’s commitment to building foundational education globally so as to foster a stronger, more sustainable world.

NASA Astronaut Lt. Colonel Frank Rubio delivers a message about how literacy opens up a world of exploration – from the International Space Station.

As part of celebrations worldwide, USAID’s Center for Education highlighted activities throughout September. We reflected on progress made since the 2022 Transforming Education Summit on the global Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning, and on how we can mobilize global action to transform education for all. Together, with our partners, we convened conversations, shared stories of what is working and what still needs to be done. And, we highlighted champions of reading with a few other surprise messages along the way.

Author Meg Medina, the U.S. Library of Congress 2023/24 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, joined USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator Sheryl Stumbras to discuss the importance of inclusive perspectives in young people’s literature and how to inspire a love of reading.

Here’s how USAID celebrated International Literacy Day 2023 to help promote literacy for a world in transition.

Advancing Foundational Learning

USAID Rwanda, with support from the USAID Center for Education, discuss 10 years of early literacy achievements. The discussion highlights a recent study of USAID Rwanda’s investments in mother tongue early literacy development programming from 2011 to the present, highlighting 10 years of assessment data and experiences.
Gather young people in your life and read a story with them. Here, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator LeAnna Marr kicks off a read-along for children, highlighting one of the high-quality reading resources available on the USAID-supported Global Digital Library.

USAID/Tanzania Celebrates Literacy

In September 2023, USAID/Tanzania joined the United States and global communities in celebrating National Literacy Month and International Literacy Day. USAID Mission Director Craig Hart took the opportunity to spend a morning with children from the USAID community, where they read a book together in Swahili.

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Learn more about how USAID celebrated International Literacy Day in previous years

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Reading & Literacy