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Summer of Hope 2024
Celebrate and give families hope for a brighter future this summer.
This Summer of Hope, we have a fantastic opportunity to build on years of wonderful work that’s transforming the lives of women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa.
Literacy and numeracy are vital life skills for all of us. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), your faithful support is already empowering women to release themselves from the cycle of poverty.
Now we urgently need to reach more women, families and communities.
The cycle of poverty, crushing women’s and girls’ chances of a better life, has been exacerbated by decades of conflict between communities, non-state armed groups and Congolese security forces. The conflict has deepened a significant gender gap in literacy, with 66.5% of women being literate compared to 88.5% of men. Not being able to read and write means women are prevented from participating economically and socially. It severely limits their understanding of their rights and health issues.
Today Mothers’ Union Literacy Circles are already making a difference in four dioceses in the DRC. But now we need to expand to four more dioceses where women are most in need of support.
The Literacy Circles enable women to learn life-changing literacy, as well as numeracy, agriculture and business skills. Helping women learn these vital life skills helps them support their families and gain status in their communities. Grace describes what this change has meant for her and how she feels much more empowered.
“I didn’t know how to count. So if I went to market, they would steal my money because I couldn’t count and know the weights,” she says. “I joined the programme. Now I can spend my money wisely because of what we have learned.”
From the donation you make to bake sales, jumble sales and sponsored physical challenges, this summer let us come together to give the gift of hope for a brighter future.
