Google Announces Literacy Project

In India, there are nearly 300 million people who can't read and another 400 million with very basic knowledge of the alphabet. That is the impetus behind The Literacy Project, an initiative created by Google, the Frankfurt Book Fair literacy campaign, and UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong Learning.

The project integrates Google's services with information on literacy, as well as resources such as subtitled videos for reading practice and research papers on the worldwide problem. Links to blogs are provided, as is a map of the world's literacy organizations. "The idea that others around the world will be able to see what we’re doing —- and in turn, that we’ll be able to see what other people are doing and saying about literacy -— is thrilling," said PlanetRead president Dr. Brij Kothari.