| In Eritrea，a small country in northeast
Africa，approximately 80 percent of the population is illiterate．That percentage
is even higher for women．As in many developing countries，most Eritreans have
traditional ideas about the role of women．They believe that women should stay
home and take care of the family and should not get an education or look for a
job． These beliefs are one of the factors that prevent Eritrea and other developing countries from improving their economic situation．Experience in many countries has shown that educated women have fewer children and have more opportunities for improving their lives and the lives of their families．In Eritrea，in fact，there is great need for improvement．It is one of the poorest countries in the world．For many Eritrean families，getting enough food is a daily problem． To deal with these problems，the Eritrean government，together with the World Food Program，has a new program that offers food as a reward for learning。In primary schools，all the children receive food packages to take home to their families．However，with the new program，the girls receive 50 percent more food than the boys．This way，parents are encouraged to send their daughters to school rather than keeping them at home． Another government program that aims to educate women is Food for Training．Managed by the National Union of Eritrean Women，this program offers food rewards(also from the World Food Organization)to women and older girls who are willing to join the program．Because of the war with Ethiopia，many women are bringing up their families on their own．They often live in refugee camps，with no land of their own and no way to earn money．Most of these women are illiterate and have no skills to find a job．They spend most of their day looking for food and preparing it for their families． The Food for Training program helps the teenagers and women change their lives．If they agree to join the program，they receive a large package of food each month．In return，the women are required to attend free literacy classes for two hours every day．When Food for Training started with classes in two regions of Eritrea，5，000 girls and women joined in the first two months．It is especially popular with teenage girls，aged fourteen to sixteen，who have never had a chance to go to school before． The organizers of Food for Training also plan to offer other kinds of courses for women，using the same system of food rewards．In these courses，they will teach women job skills and crafts such as basket weaving．These women will not only learn to read and write．They will become aware of what is going on in their country，and they will be able to have a voice in their future． |