Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
This Japanese NGO, working with local partners in countries all over Asia, has set up a regional network of Literacy Resource Centres (LRCs) dedicated to the promotion of literacy for girls and women.
Each LRC is managed by the ACCU partner literacy organization. The aims of each LRC are 1) to collect and provide information and materials to other NGOs and field workers; 2) to develop innovative literacy learning materials and strategies; and 3) to offer training opportunities to literacy workers in various fields.
As of 2003, there are 18 LRCs in the Asia-Pacific region. For the names and locations of these centres, please click here.
So far, there have been three major activities undertaken by ACCU related to the UNLD.
The first one has been the publication of a poster named “The ACCU-LRC Network for the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012).” The poster briefly explains the efforts of the network to help achieve the Decade’s goals. The poster content has also appeared as the back cover of Asian-Pacific Book Development, a magazine published by ACCU (Volume 33, Number 4, 2003).
Second, ACCU and its LRC in China, the Research and Training Centre for Literacy Education, organized a regional workshop for LRCs, which took place during 8-14 April 2004 at the Southwest China Normal University in Chongqing. The theme of this workshop was “Literacy and Gender,” which is a special emphasis of the UNLD during its first two years. Participants discussed possible contributions of the resource centre network to the UNLD and also attended a special session on ways to improve gender sensitivity in literacy programmes.
Third, ACCU is preparing to publish a special issue of the quarterly Literacy Grassroots Breakthroughs. This newsletter reports on the latest projects, news and trends in the field of literacy and non-formal education (NFE) in the Asia-Pacific region. Its regular columns include “Challenges for EFA,” “Voices from CLCs” featuring case studies from community learning centres, and “Tips on ICT” focusing on the uses of information and communication technology in literacy promotion activities. The special issue on the UNLD, now in preparation, will showcase articles on the Decade’s origins, current activities, and contributions by the LRC network.
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