Education

Uneducated adults in India never learned how to read, write, or count money, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. They often overlook essential practices such as covering food to prevent bugs, bathing regularly, washing hands before food preparation, and eating healthy meals. Because they lack basic knowledge, their children routinely get sick, and many parents turn to witch doctors for help instead of medical doctors.

In India, 80.9% of males are literate, compared to just 64.6% of women. Why? Because in many families, girls are seen as “less than.” If a family has limited finances, they prioritize sending their sons to school while keeping their daughters home to do household chores.

273 million adults in India can’t read this in their own language. That’s 1 in 4 people who are held back by illiteracy, lacking the basic skills to find stable jobs, open a bank account, and provide healthy lives for their children.

Many parents in India would love to send their children to school, but they feel they simply can’t because of their financial situation. Instead, they bring their young children to work with them, so desperate for immediate income that they sacrifice setting up their children for a better future.