Meaningful learning? Gendered experiences with an NGO-sponsored literacy program in rural Mali

Keywords

Western Africa, Meaningful learning, Rural Mali, NGO, literacy in Africa

Abstract

This paper examines the effectiveness of an NGO-sponsored literacy program in rural Mali. The study employs ethnographic techniques to examine the type of literacy instruction provided, the level of participation, the meanings of literacy to participants, and the contextual factors that influence the social and personal effects of literacy. The analyses reveal that the program has been more advantageous for men, particularly in terms of opportunities for the use of literacy skills. Oversight of the cultural context combined with programmatic challenges including failure of the NGO to meet its own critical literacy goals have limited women's ability to access and derive benefits from the literacy program.

Original Publication Citation

Meaningful Learning? Gendered Experiences with an NGO Sponsored Literacy Program in Rural Mali, Carol Ward, Yodit Solomon, Kacey Widdison Jones, Addie Fuhriman and Bonnie Bailiff-Spanvill, Ethnography and Education Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1 (2006): 103-124.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2006-08-22

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5649

Publisher

Ethnography and Education

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Sociology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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