The note discusses some key issues pertaining to gender, literacy and women's empowerment in India. It uses disaggregated data to illustrate the persisting gender disparities with regard to literacy and points out that despite this there is a lack of real political will to address issues of adult literacy. It further draws on data from the…

This paper focuses on adult education and information and communication technologies (ICT) training to fisherwomen of Siluvaipatti fishing village in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu State, southeastern India. The total families in this village are 209 with population 899 (Male: 442; Female: 457). The education level is generally good in…

Within Ethiopia's overall development strategy, the Integrated Women's Empowerment Programme (IWEP) aims to develop, test and implement a comprehensive nationwide approach to empower women and their households in selected areas of all regions/national states of Ethiopia. The programme provides functional literacy education and livelihood skills…

The ideological shift by nation-states to "a knowledge-based economy" (also referred to as "knowledge-based society") is causing changes in the workplace. Brought about by the forces of globalisation and technological innovation, the ideologies of the "knowledge-based economy" are not limited to influencing the…

Interviews with women in 10 countries illustrate the ways in which global constructions do not work for women, including structural adjustment policies that increase economic inequality, reduction in funding for educational and social programs, and politicization of education. (SK)

A literacy campaign in an Indian village led to training and education for women's empowerment. Activities included a savings/banking program, resource person training, health screenings, antiviolence and substance abuse campaigns, and gender sensitization. (SK)

Empowerment through nonformal education helps women organize for change to meet practical and strategic needs. Stages of empowerment include awareness of the problem, ownership, interaction, personal action, and collective action. Each stage has cognitive, psychological, economic, and political dimensions. (SK)

Marks on Paper, a type of popular theater developed in British Columbia, helps literacy learners change personal beliefs about themselves, generates a sense of belonging, helps them break out of isolation, and transforms them through empowerment and action. (SK)

Credit with Education provides poor women with small loans; a safe place for savings; and education in health, nutrition, and family planning. The strategy integrates financial and educational services to empower women toward self-sufficiency. (SK)

Questionnaires, interviews, and nonformal education workshops involved 200 female participants in 4 Caribbean and 4 South Pacific countries. Women had opportunities to participate in education and training, and programs contributed to their personal and political empowerment. However, there was a tendency to offer programs as isolated events and…

The Shelter Society is a grassroots mental health consumers organization whose members sought access to the Internet and instigated a computer training program to improve their self-advocacy skills. The program fostered a sense of empowerment and prepared participants to make informed decisions. (SK)

A health education program in Brazil trained 26 women as community health educators. Only four used their roles to foster social change. Discussing women's reproductive health in the context of religion and social values contributed to successful training; economic and political empowerment was hampered by perpetuation of traditional role…

Manandhar and Leslie describe literacy innovations conducted in Nepal by Save the Children US. Taladhar discusses a project in which postliterate Nepalese women produced a video, challenging stereotypes about women and technology and the myth that only professionals can use video technology. (SK)

This paper describes a participatory research (PR) project encompassing a capacity-development programme and advocacy skill-building initiative for rural women. The project actively engaged four prominent women's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Sri Lanka: Agromart Foundation, Centre for Women's Research (CENWOR), Sarvodaya Women's…

This article addresses the question: In the context of poverty, gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV/AIDS currently ravaging under-resourced countries, dare we set our hopes for gender- equitable development in general, and gender equality in education in particular, on the Millenium Development Goals MDGs? The article analyses the…