Our Global Programs

Practical, community-led literacy programs that reach the people who need them most.

What We Do

Every community faces different barriers to literacy. In some places, there are no books. In others, teachers lack training. Many girls are kept home from school. Some regions have no schools at all. That is why we run multiple programs that work together to solve the whole problem — not just one piece of it.

All of our programs are designed with local partners. We do not assume we know best. We ask communities what they need, then help them build solutions that last.

Our Core Programs

📖 Book Distribution & Library Building

In thousands of villages around the world, there is not a single children's book. Families cannot buy them. Schools cannot afford them. Our book program delivers new, culturally appropriate books — in local languages — directly to communities that have none.

We also build small community libraries. These are not large buildings. They are often one room in an existing school or a small structure built by local hands. But they become the heart of literacy in that village. Children come after school to read. Adults come to learn. Teachers come to find resources.

  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • South Asia
  • Latin America

👩‍🏫 Teacher Training & Support

Many teachers in underserved areas have never received formal training in how to teach reading. They want to help their students, but they lack the methods and materials. Our teacher training program provides week-long workshops, classroom coaching, and follow-up support throughout the school year.

We focus on practical skills: how to assess a child's reading level, how to use simple homemade materials, how to make reading fun. Teachers leave with lesson plans, activity ideas, and a network of peers who support each other.

  • East Africa
  • West Africa
  • Southeast Asia

📱 Digital Learning for Remote Areas

In places with no roads, no schools, and no teachers, technology can still reach children. Our digital learning program provides rugged tablets pre-loaded with reading apps, digital books, and learning games — all designed to work offline. Each tablet can serve multiple children. We also provide solar chargers so electricity is never a problem.

Community volunteers are trained to run reading circles using the tablets. Children learn at their own pace, and the apps adjust to their level. For many children, this is the only formal learning they will ever receive.

  • Remote Amazon
  • Himalayan villages
  • Sahel region

👧 Girls' Literacy & Safe Learning Spaces

Around the world, girls are less likely to learn to read than boys. Families may keep daughters home to work. Schools may lack private bathrooms. Communities may not see value in educating girls. Our girls' literacy program addresses all of these barriers.

We create safe learning spaces — separate from regular schools — where girls can learn to read in a supportive environment. We train female teachers from the same community. We work with families to show them the benefits of educated girls. We also provide materials in local languages that feature girls as heroes and learners.

  • South Asia
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Middle East

📝 Adult Literacy & Family Learning

Millions of adults never learned to read. They work hard, raise families, and contribute to their communities — but they cannot read a medicine bottle, a job application, or a letter from their child's school. Our adult literacy program offers evening classes taught by local volunteers.

We also run family learning sessions where parents and children learn together. When a parent learns to read, they can help their own children with schoolwork. The whole family rises together.

  • Latin America
  • South Asia
  • West Africa

Where We Work

Global Literacy Support currently operates programs in 22 countries across four continents. Our headquarters are in Mulsanne, France, but our teams are local — we employ teachers, librarians, and coordinators from the communities we serve.

  • Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Rwanda, Malawi
  • Asia: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Philippines
  • Latin America: Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua
  • Europe (headquarters): France (local volunteer programs)

Program Impact (2025 Snapshot)

  • Books distributed: 1.2 million books in 35 local languages
  • Teachers trained: 8,450 educators completed our training
  • Libraries built: 412 community libraries established
  • Girls reached: 95,000 girls enrolled in safe learning spaces
  • Adults served: 62,000 adults in literacy classes

These numbers represent real people whose lives are changing. Each book opened, each teacher trained, each child who learns to read — that is our measure of success.

How Programs Are Selected

We do not start programs in places we have not been invited. Communities or local organizations contact us with a request. We visit, listen, and conduct a simple assessment together. If we can help, we design a program that fits the local context — not a copy of what worked somewhere else.

Every program includes an exit plan. We train local people to run the program themselves. Our goal is to work ourselves out of a job in each community within five to seven years. That is what sustainable literacy looks like.