 When Dr. Nuzhat Ahmad first came to tell WTB about Ibtida and how her family started schools to teach underprivileged Pakistani children, she mentioned that mothers of the school children couldn’t read or write in their language (Urdu). Nor did they have numeracy skills. That prompted Ruth Colvin to action. Then a WTB Council member, Ruth pioneered in literacy training world-wide and founded Literacy Volunteers of America (now ProLiteracy). Her native language literacy books are used in many countries. Ruth recruited WTB members and other metro-Syracuse women who know Urdu, the official language of Pakistan, to help her with the translations. After months of work, "Reading and Writing in Urdu," both a teacher's guide and a student's workbook were developed. |