LITERACY PROJECT: Learning to read around the world

Posted on Jul 21, 2026
 
 
 
“When you teach somebody how to read, they have that for a lifetime. It ripples through the community, one by one.”  
– Mark Wilson, Rotary Club member
 
Literacy continues to be a focus for Rotary clubs around the world. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults. 

Our impact on education 

The Rotary Foundation supports education through scholarships, donations, and service projects around the world.

Rotary members make amazing things happen, like:

Opening schools: In Afghanistan, Rotary members opened a girls’ school to break the cycle of poverty and social imbalance.

Teaching adults to read: Rotary members in the United States partnered with ProLiteracy Detroit to recruit and train tutors after a study showed that more than half of the local adult population was functionally illiterate.

New teaching methods: The SOUNS program in South Africa, Puerto Rico and the United States teaches educators how to improve literacy by teaching children to recognize letters by sounds instead of names.

Making schools healthy: Rotarians are providing clean, fresh water to public schools in Guatemala so students can be healthier and get a better education.

Enhancing educational systems: In Kenya, Rotary clubs are working with the Global Partnership for Education and local and national governments to advance life-long learning opportunities for poor and marginalized children.

 
Rotary clubs across the globe celebrate Literacy Month in July and promote International Literacy Day on September 8. Believing that reading and writing are essential to independence and economic freedom, Past Rotary International President Stenhammar established the Literacy Resource Group which works to encourage Rotary clubs and districts to participate in projects that promote the ultimate goal of universal literacy for all. Many clubs in District 5390 participate in a dictionary project, handing out dictionaries to third graders in their communities. Other clubs offer fiscal support for local literacy and reading projects coordinated by libraries or nonprofits. Still others provide community development projects that help improve the health of children so they are able to attend school and learn to read. 

Our District 5390 Literacy Project Contact 
For more information on project ideas for your club's Rotary literacy program and a list of resources, watch the video below. The Rotary District 5390 Literacy Project Coordinator is Roy Beekman of Kalispell; contact Roy at beekmanroy@gmail.com.