What is A.M.E.N.

Female literacy, especially in the rural areas and the urban slums of Pakistan, is one of the lowest in the world. By the age of 14-15, almost all illiterate girls are married off by the arrangements of their poor illiterate parents. The birth, morbidity and mortality rates in the young mothers are alarmingly high.

The literacy programmes designed and implemented for female literacy are centered around young girls below 10-12 years of age. Hardly any literacy programme concentrates on mothers whose needs and requirements are completely different from those of young girls.

A.M.E.N. Programme has been designed to help these neglected mothers.

Need

The illiterate mothers need primary and functional education to improve the health standard of themselves and their family, budget their limited family income, write letters to relatives and friends and realise the significance of planned parenthood.

The essential skill of functional literacy not only helps them to become better mothers but also helps develop their minds, to create a new self image and to gain self confidence.

The A.M.E.N. Approach

A.M.E.N. is designed to meet the needs of mothers through an efficient, economical and functional type of education. The structure, class timing, place, books and rate of learning revolve around the students. The unique approach and method has already been tested with our A.M.E.N. classes in 1997.

Here is an example of an A.M.E.N’s newly literate mother. Safia knits baby sweaters on orders for extra income. One day, she took ten sweaters to the dealer and noticed that he wrote down eight sweaters in his book. When he gave her the payment and asked her to put her thumbprint on the receipt, she said, “Why did you put eight sweaters when I gave you ten?” The dealer was amazed and asked her “How did you know that?” Safia said “I am educated now. You cannot cheat me any more.” When she received her full payment, she proudly signed her name on the receipt.

The First phase

A.M.E.N. Programme is divided into two phases. The first phase of primary and basic education takes about one year. During this period, the mothers finish their literacy primer and several books of their choice from each of the reading levels (grade II to IV). After completion of their course, the women are able to read, write and do simple arithmetic. The simple, readable books in graded vocabulary used in literacy classes introduce them to the basic knowledge of health, hygiene, child care and the advantages of having a small family.

The Second phase

The second phase also takes about one year. During this phase, the mothers progress from “learning to read” towards “reading to learn”. Once the barrier of illiteracy is broken, the women are ready to step into the post-literacy programme up to the eighth level of reading. During this phase, they will retain what they have learned and not fall back into illiteracy again.

The second phase emphasises health education and family planning through literacy and class discussions. The mothers also learn some skills that not only help them personally but can also be utilised for increasing their family income. Some of these skills are sewing, knitting, block printing, dyeing dupattas, making and packaging dry snacks, jams, jellies and pickles.

During the second phase, the mothers are encouraged and helped to set up a library and a “reading club” where they can get together and discuss the books they have read and exchange views about the benefit and the knowledge acquired from the text.

A good example is Shazia, a new literate mother, who said, “I was often told that drinking water should be boiled, especially for children but never paid attention. When I read the book “Saaf Pani”, I realised its importance, and now I always boil our drinking water”.

Co-operating NGOs

NGOs interested and involved in the field of literacy have opened A.M.E.N. classes in their own areas.

Training in Teaching Methods

A.M.E.N. personnel offer their expertise to train teachers, supervisors and trainers of NGOs involved in adult literacy programmes. A.M.E.N. staff have trained teachers in groups not only for their own classes but for many NGOs as well.

Costs of Phases

The cost for the A.M.E.N. classes is offered as follows:

1. First phase Cost Rs.200/- per mother per month.
   One year full course 12 x 200 = 2400 Rs.2400/-
   (Approx. 10 students in a class)
2. Second phase Cost Rs. 300/- per mother per month.
   One year full course 12 x 30 = 3600 Rs.3600/-
   (10 students in a class)