Elham's story

Elham: Being illiterate always made me inferior

My name is Elham Mahmoud, I am married with one daughter. I always wanted to get an education but I couldn't due to our weakened financial status. When I was young, I used to assist my father with his work in the farm, and when I got married I moved with my husband to Cairo. Being illiterate made me suffer a lot in Cairo, as I couldn't read any addresses, numbers, names or anything around me, which made me feel inferior, lost and unable to go anywhere by myself. However, when I heard about ADEW's literacy classes that were going to take place right next to my house, I was really happy and convinced my husband to let me attend the course.

Indeed, after attending these classes, I learnt how to read, write and calculate. I felt extremely happy every time I learnt something new, especially now that I can read street names, homes' addresses, telephone numbers, and basically everything else. I also sat for and passed the literacy exams and I intend to pursue my preparatory studies.

Moreover, besides learning how to read and write, we learnt other skills, such as making pickles, sauces, spices and herbs at home. That helped a lot at home, as it saved a great deal of expenses. Furthermore, we went on a trip to Fayed which was the first time for me to see the sea, only back then I felt like a human, worthy of living and learning.

Literacy