THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the First Lady
(New York, New York)
For Immediate Release
September 18, 2006
Remarks By The First Lady At The White House Conference On Global Literacy
New York Public Library
New York, New York
9:16 A.M. EDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you, Secretary Rice, for your very kind introduction, including the interesting story about your life and your
grandparents.
I want to recognize the Secretary General [sic] of UNESCO, Dr.
Matsuura.* Thank you very much. Today's conference is a project of
UNESCO's and the United States Department of Education and the State
Department. So I want to thank you very much for everything you've
done to facilitate today's conference.
Secretary Margaret Spellings, who is the United States Secretary
of
Education, you'll be hearing from her later. Or have they already
heard
from you? She's great, and the Department of Education has been very
important to this event, as well. The head of USAID, Ambassador
Randall
Tobias, is here; Dr. Gregorian, who you heard from, the Chairman of
the
Carnegie Foundation; Gerri Elliott, who is the Corporate Vice
President of
Microsoft and will be one of our panel moderators; Dr. Paul LeClerc,
the
President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Public Library;
and
Catie Marron, the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the New York
Public
Library. Thank you all very much for this perfect venue to talk about
education.
First ladies, ministers of education and distinguished guests,
welcome to the White House Conference on Global Literacy.
My special guests today are people I love to share books with: my
mother, Jenna Welch -- (applause) -- my mother-in-law, Barbara Bush --
(applause) -- and my daughter, Barbara. (Applause.) We represent
three
generations of women who love to read. Reading, in fact, is so
important
to us -- is such a part of our lives -- that our lives have been built
around it. My mother loved to read, and she taught me to love
reading.
I liked reading so much that I made it into my career by becoming a
teacher and a librarian.
Reading is so important to my mother-in-law, Barbara Bush, that
she
made literacy her focus when her husband was President, and all the
years
since with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. The
Barbara
Bush Foundation supports programs around the United States that
provide
literacy instruction to children and their parents.
I suspect that I can safely say that everyone here today is here
because reading -- and the love of good books and ideas -- is a
central
part of their lives.
Three years ago, in this very library, UNESCO launched its Decade
of
Literacy, a ten-year initiative to extend the benefits of reading
everywhere, especially to those of the world's poorest and most
marginalized communities.
Across the globe, more than 800 million people are illiterate.
One
hundred million children are not in school, which means they're not
learning to read. And of the 771 million adults who cannot read a
simple
book, more than two-thirds of them are women.
To meet the Literacy Decade's goal of teaching all these men,
women
and children how to read, UNESCO started its Literacy Initiative for
Empowerment. Eighty-five percent of the people who cannot read live
in
just 35 countries, and UNESCO, through its LIFE program, works with
the
governments of these nations to develop effective local literacy
programs
for their people.
But ending illiteracy is a challenge for every country. And
every
government must do its part by investing in the education of its
people --
men, women, and children; rich and poor.
The investment, no matter how significant, is always worthwhile,
because investing in literacy and education helps governments meet
their
fundamental obligations, by improving opportunities for children and
families, by strengthening their economies, and by keeping their
citizens
in good health.
By investing in literacy instruction for women and girls now,
governments ensure that future generations will enjoy the benefits of
reading. Women who can read are much more likely to be advocates for
their children's education.
Educating women and children requires textbooks and teachers.
And in
many countries, governments are working with the private sector to
provide
these resources. In Ghana, I visited the Accra Teacher Training
College,
which participates in the Textbooks and Learning Materials Program.
As
part of the program, six American universities have partnered with six
governments of African countries to produce and distribute 15 million
primary-school textbooks for African children.
The program is part of President Bush's African Education
Initiative,
a $600 million commitment that's already helped train more than
400,000
teachers in sub-Saharan Africa.
By investing in literacy and education, governments build their
economies. When people read, they're more likely to participate in
business and trade, which leads to greater economic development. And
literacy helps both men and women provide for themselves, their
families,
and their communities. Countries prosper with an educated workforce.
The connection between literacy and economic growth can be seen
in
Arzu, Inc. Arzu sells traditional rugs woven by Afghan women,
providing
them with a job so they can support themselves and their families.
Arzu
also requires that weavers and their husbands sign a contract
promising
that all women in the household will attend literacy classes. As the
women learn to read and count, they learn to manage their income and
budget it wisely, and they become informed consumers.
Arzu weavers also pledge to enroll their sons and daughters in
school. One of Arzu's directors, Tooba Mayel, says, and I quote:
"Now,
people have a short vision for their lives. They're in survival mode,
looking for a day-to-day living. But these children won't have to
worry
about day-to-day living. They're seeing that there's a whole future
out
there for them." Tooba Mayel is here in the audience. (Applause.)
By investing in education, governments increase their citizens'
health literacy. People who can read can understand the label on a
food
container. They know how to follow instructions on the bottle of
medicine. They're also able to make informed decisions about their
lives
that will keep them and their families healthy.
Education is saving lives in South Africa, through the
Mothers-to-
Mothers-to-Be Program. At "Mothers" centers, HIV-infected women
receive
information and support to keep their unborn children from contracting
the
disease. Women who've successfully delivered HIV-negative babies can
serve as mentors to other mothers. The program trains women in
beading
and other crafts, and then sells their crafts internationally --
offering
the women an independent source of income, and greater control over
their
health.
I've met many of these mothers, including a young woman named
Gloria.
Gloria had always wanted to be a nurse, but she had to leave school at
age
16 when she was forced into an arranged marriage.
Years later, when Gloria discovered she was pregnant with her
second
child and HIV-positive, she found Mothers-to-Mothers. In addition to
helping Gloria and her baby stay healthy, the program trained Gloria
as a
mentor-mother, and she eventually became Site Coordinator at the
largest
"Mothers" center.
The education Gloria received through her Mothers-to-Mothers
helped
revive her dream of becoming a nurse. Now, Gloria is teaching nurses
about HIV/AIDS -- showing how investing in the education of one woman
can
help keep many other women, and their families, in good health.
Gloria.
(Applause.)
Investing in literacy benefits everyone, and so I urge every
government, and also private sector organizations, to dedicate your
resources to this cause.
Knowing how to direct these resources requires knowing where
they're
needed. So today, I'm pleased to announce that the American people
are
contributing $1 million to support UNESCO's Literacy Assessment and
Monitoring Program. Through LAMP, many countries are working to
determine
which people in their country cannot read, where people live who
cannot
read, and why people can't read.
This information will help remove obstacles to reading
everywhere.
For LAMP to be truly successful, it requires broad participation. I
encourage all countries to join.
Today, as we discuss how to improve educational opportunities
around
the world, it's important to remember that we're all teachers. A
person
who's never stood by a blackboard still teaches by example. By
demonstrating our commitment to literacy, we can let millions of
people
know that reading and writing are important, and we can help build a
healthier, more prosperous, and more hopeful world.
Thank you all for coming today. Thanks especially to the
panelists
who've traveled from around the world to be here for us today. We're
looking forward to your presentations. I also want to take this
opportunity to thank my staff, who worked so hard to bring everyone
together to address this important issue. And thanks to each and
every
one of you who have come today. Thank you for your commitment to
literacy, and thank you for everything you do in your home countries.
Thank you so very much. (Applause.)
END
9:27 A.M. EDT
* Dr. Matsuura is Director General of UNESCO.
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