Mrs. Christine Bagoudou is a 39-year-old mother of six children and a literacy instructor at the Bouar Literacy Center in the Dorival district.

Mrs. Bagoudou's Reflections on Year One of the Literacy Program

"Teaching is a passion for me. Every time I get together with my students in the literacy class and see the efforts that each one of them makes to read the first letters of the alphabet after 30 or 40 years of fog in their heads, it makes me shed tears and motivates me to persevere in this work to bring them hope in their lives 

My ardent desire as an instructor is to support the students in the literacy class, so that they can read and write to manage their business and support their schoolchildren to learn their lessons at home.

Mrs. Bagoudou works with a student in her literacy class.

During this first year [of the literacy program], [I've been thinking about] the example of Mrs. Véronique Bagaza. She did not know how to read and write, [but she has] impressed me. After five months of school, Mrs. Bagaza can read, and she is able to read the Bible in church in front of the whole congregation. This acquired ability propelled her to be elected as the local president of the Central African Women for Christ, and to this day, she manages a group of 120 women in her congregation 

"At the beginning of the program, the center had 74 learners. The number of students is reduced [due to] some difficulties they have encountered in their homes. But from now on, many women are committed to learning to read and write, even if the program continues until 2027. I am very happy that some women can read and can already write their names. They can also sing with the hymn book in church."

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