Read:
Moses 6:5-6

Explain:
Great progress has been made in eliminating illiteracy. Fifty years ago, the global illiteracy rate was 45 percent; it has since fallen to 23 percent. Still, this figure represents 875 million adults who cannot read or write, two thirds of whom are women. Some 130 children in developing countries do not attend school; two-thirds of them are girls. In 1995, 19 countries in Africa and Asia had illiteracy rates of 70 percent or more. In fact, the number of people who cannot read or write is growing in southern Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab world. International Literacy Day has been observed since 1967 to focus on the continuing need to overcome illiteracy.

Pray:

• Give thanks for the ability to read and write.
• Give thanks for living at a time when printing and computers make it easier than ever before for people to access information.
• Pray for the efforts of those working to eliminate illiteracy.