Laubach Literacy International

Laubach Literacy International (LLI) was founded in 1955 by Dr. Frank C. Laubach to help address the world-wide problem of illiteracy. Dr. Laubach believed that literacy was the "first step toward ending the suffering and exploitation of the world's disadvantaged people." The mission of Laubach Literacy International as stated in the 1989 annual report was "to enable illiterate adults and older youths to acquire the listening, speaking, reading, writing and mathematics skills they need to solve the problems they encounter in daily life; to take full advantage of opportunities in their environment; and to fully participate in the transformation of their society." LLI carried out its literacy mission both in the United States, through its National Affiliation for Literacy Advance (NALA), and internationally, through its International Program.

National Affiliation for Literacy Advance (NALA) was founded in 1968 to extend the work begun by Dr. Frank Laubach within the United States and Canada. In 1982 it was renamed Laubach Literacy Action (LLA). NALA/LLA filled several roles including:

1. Serving as a channel of communication for individuals within the field of literacy education. 2. Offering workshops to train both professional and volunteer tutors to teach reading and writing skills to native speakers of English (NSE); to teach English conversation, reading and writing skills to uneducated speakers of other languages; and to write high interest simplified reading materials for both youths and adults. 3. Aiding in the development and acquisition of material required to fill specific local needs. 4. Providing guidance on establishing literacy programs in areas of administration, finance and recruitment of students and tutors.

New Readers Press (NRP), the publishing division of LLI, was founded in 1967 and assists in the development of materials used by NALA in the teaching of new readers. NRP was responsible for Be Informed, Laubach Way to English, and New Streamlined English, series used in the instruction of those wishing to become literate. New For You was a newspaper published for new readers containing easy to read articles on news of the day. Other publications geared toward new readers include a wide range of practical and interesting information.

The International Program of Laubach Literacy International was an outgrowth of the work carried out by Dr. Frank Laubach between 1937 and 1954. During that period he gave technical assistance in establishing literacy programs throughout the world. With the founding of LLI in 1955, a channel was made available for promoting the opportunity for literacy throughout the world.

"Laubach Literacy International's commitment to the advancement of literacy presupposes a belief in the power of the word - spoken, heard, written and read" (LLI, 1986 Annual Report). The International Program stressed four areas in the carrying out of their mission:

1. Materials Development: Literacy primers to be used by volunteer tutors were written, field tested, published and distributed. Follow-up readers were published for use by new readers. 2. Training: Training workshops were made available to volunteer and professional literacy writers, tutors and program organizers. Emphasis was placed on recruiting, training, and supporting tutors from the indigenous population. 3. Technical Assistance: Once a program was established LLI provided consulting services in the areas of program organization, administration, promotion, and evaluation. 4. Financial Assistance: The cost of "each one teach one" programs was shared by the host country and LLI. The host supplied volunteers, facilities for teaching and storage of materials, paid personnel and monetary gifts. LLI provided funds to subsidize publications and to support full-time program organizers, writers and tutor trainers.

If there was a pre-existing literacy organization LLI did not create a new organization requiring financial support. Through the years the "each one teach one" method of teaching reading has been used in 103 countries and in over 300 languages.

In August 2002, Laubach Literacy International merged with Literacy Volunteers of America to form ProLiteracy Worldwide.

From the guide to the Laubach Literacy International Records, 1896-1991, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)