Welcome to World Literacy Initiative!

World Literacy Initiative is a 501 (c)(3) private, non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) incorporated and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States.  Its mission is to work towards improving literacy and basic education throughout the developing world.  Although its work to date has been exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa, it is concerned with developing nations everywhere. 

Its strategy for achieving its mission goal is to make especially effective educational methods freely available to the people of developing nations.  Attaining quality education - and female literacy most particularly - are fundamental first steps to  reducing   poverty,   to   eliminating the oppression  of  women, and to freeing the potential of a new generation.

 

Giant-Killer Willie E. Gary Sets Sites on Illiteracy in Developing Countries Mega-successful Florida attorney, Willie E. Gary, known respectfully among his colleagues as a 'giant-killer' for taking on and beating large corporate foes in court, announced that he had decided to accept an offer to join the board of directors of World Literacy Initiative.  Mr. Gary has a lifetime record of devotion to and support for higher education starting his own foundation decades ago to help financially less able individuals to attend college.  Now, he has caught the mega-giant problem of international illiteracy in developing countries, in his unfailing cross-hairs.  Read the full story by clicking here and learning more about this most remarkable man and the new fight that he has now entered into for the very first time. Willie E. Gary Stuart, FL Attorney and lifetime advocate of education

 

Learn More About World Literacy Initiative 

 

Help us Help Others to Help Themselves! Find Out About World Literacy Initiative's  Programs    Uncover Some of the Accomplishments Made During the First Nine Years

 

Discover what EBMI Can Do for Africa

 

Meet Our Board of Directors

 

Read the Newest Jan's Journal

 

 

Jerry Farber and the Band, Highway
performed for the benefit of World Literacy Initiative
on August 5 at the RedLight Cafe in Atlanta.  
See complete coverage of this - the first Gala Entertainment Festival
on behalf of World Literacy Initiative.

$417 Million Funding Package
for Educational Improvement in Ethiopia Announced

World Literacy Initiative announced in January that in part through its efforts throughout much of 2008, the government of Ethiopia was awarded $417 million in budgetary re-directs, World Bank loans and a major grant-in-aid package aimed at improving the quality of education over the next four years.  Mostly in the form of grants from  five European donor nations and the World Bank, the investment is the result of one and a half years of planning by a team of national and international consultants. World Literacy Initiative  was active throughout this period but intensively so from early March 2008 onward just before the World Bank began its formal consultancy with the project.  The European donor nations involved were the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Finland, and Ireland. 

 Charles Dewald
Elected Chairperson of Board

 

Charles Dewald was unanimously elected Chairperson of the Board of Directors in January.  Charles has been a member of the board since the inception of World Literacy Initiative in 2000 and provided seminal guidance and input to its creation in the year of development work prior to that.  Since the organization's formal formation, Charles has served a number of years as its Secretary.  He has also been quite active, participating on a variety of mission tasks, committee projects and programs. Charles came to World Literacy Initiative after retiring from a thirty-four year career with ACCO-Babcock Inc. where he was Vice President of Material Handling Group/General manager of Integrated Handling Systems Division.  Throughout his retirement years, Charles has remained an active and vibrant force in his church, North Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia (USA) where he is an ordained elder.

Charles Dewald Chairperson Board of Directors World Literacy Initiative, Inc.

 

Charles anticipates a focused and deliberate business-like process as World Literacy Initiative matures organizationally in its second decade of existence.  The new text-book now being completed is to better organize the sharing of effective teaching methods (EBMI) throughout Africa. He hopes that it will be the first of many upcoming landmark accomplishments by World Literacy Initiative.

 

Dewald added, “During 2008, we were asked by the Ethiopian government to help them secure major multi-national/World Bank funding to improve education in Ethiopia over the next four years. We focused on that, and together the huge task was accomplished. Now, we are again focusing on our broad agenda of improving academic achievement throughout Africa in order that each individual learner can build a good foundation upon which to become a successful, educated adult”.

 

 

 

Gerhard New Vice Chairperson     Other New Officers Elected in January Other new officers were elected at the same meeting of the board of directors this past January.  These include Greg Gerhard as the new Vice Chairperson, Vickie Smith  as the new Treasurer, and Deana Garner as the new Secretary. Although relatively new to the organization, Greg Gerhard is an experienced administrator as Vice President for Endowments for SunTrust Bank. Vickie is both a prior Chairperson and a prior Treasurer for World Literacy Initiative and is currently the Director of Grant and Contract Programs at Clayton State University.   And, Deana is the founding CEO of her own company, Garner World Travel & Conferencing.  Although elected temporarily to office before, she and Greg will be serving their first full terms of office on this occasion.

Greg Gerhard New Vice Chairperson Board of Directors World Literacy Initiative, Inc.

 

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The Board of Directors meets on a quarterly basis or when called to do so by the Chairperson or a quorum of the board.  It meets at 918 Ponce de Leon Avenue, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30306.  World Literacy Initiative was incorporated on 25 May 2000.