Increasing Literacy Through Access

ArmeniaCorps launched the “Increasing Literacy Through Access” program as a direct response to insights gained through ongoing collaboration with community workers, librarians, and local leaders. Together, we identified an opportunity: to strengthen literacy as a pathway to personal empowerment and economic advancement—especially for youth and women in rural areas.

As we implemented other community-based initiatives, a consistent pattern emerged: rural youth and women often lacked access to non-formal educational resources, limiting their ability to engage fully in social and economic life.

• In 2023, 24.4% of Armenian youth aged 15–24 were not in education, employment, or training (https://sdg.armstat.am/8-6-1/).
• While secondary school enrollment remains high at 95.1%, enrollment drops to 65.5% in high school, signaling barriers to continued learning (https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/armenia).

With the encouragement of book and business content editor Karen Aroian, ArmeniaCorps designed a targeted program to address these gaps. It includes Free Language Education for All and Increasing Literacy through Access initiatives.