Give to Gain: Allowing Refugee Mothers to Thrive Through Functional Adult Literacy

Francine returns home with medicine for her sick child. At the health Centre, she was helped, because there were translators to help her understand what the doctor was saying. But back at home, she is alone with the prescription and cannot read what is written and has forgotten the instructions given by the doctor. That is what illiteracy looks like.

For Francine, a refugee mother from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), experiences like this are not just frustrating. They are frightening. She wanted to care for her child, but language and literacy stood in the way. Refugee women like Francine from conflict zones are nearly twice as likely to be affected by illiteracy compared to their male counterparts.

Functional illiteracy is not just the inability to read and write a sentence. It is the inability to understand a doctor’s prescription, read a vaccination date or sign official documents. It is a quiet barrier with serious implications. It affects dignity. It affects health. It affects opportunities.

Women face this challenge more sharply. In Uganda, which is home to 1,961,518 refugees and asylum seekers of this; women make up 51% according to Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). These are not just numbers. They are mothers like Francine women caring for children, rebuilding their lives, and trying to navigate unfamiliar systems after displacement.

From Need to Action

At Finnish Refugee Council (FRC), we see this need clearly. In 2025 alone, 8,245 learners enrolled in our literacy programmes. Of these, 6,213 were women who had all been impacted by illiteracy. Through our literacy classes, learning groups within their communities are formed. The adult learners attend classes focused on practical reading, writing, and numeracy. From here, they learn skills which they can use in daily life.

Tujikoze is one of FRC’s learning groups in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, where Francine is learning alongside Grace, Edith, and Jane four women from DRC who are taking the first steps toward literacy. For many people, learning to read may sound ordinary, but for these learners it is life changing.

Coming from a French speaking country and forced to settle in an English-speaking environment, made simple tasks overwhelming. A clinic visit. A school appointment. A community meeting. A written note. Each one could become a moment of stress or dependence.

Francine says:
“My hope is that after this course, when I go to the hospital, I will understand what the doctors are telling me about my sick child and the prescriptions they give.”

Grace, a young mother, says:
“Literacy will help me read the calendar and know when my child’s next vaccination appointment is due. Before, I would forget because I could not read.”

Edith says:
“With functional adult literacy, I will be able to communicate effectively.”

And Jane says:
“I had to leave two leadership positions because I couldn’t read or write. My hope is that once I gain the skills to read and write, I will return to leadership.”

These are not small goals. They are the building blocks of quality life.
When a woman can read, she can make better health decisions. She can support her child’s education. She can manage money with more confidence. She can take part in savings groups. She can lead.

This is why Functional Adult Literacy matters. It is not classroom learning for its own sake. It is practical learning for daily life. It is literacy for dignity, confidence, and self-reliance.

Why Your Support Matters

This International Women’s Day, under the spirit of Give to Gain, we celebrate the women like Francine who keep choosing to learn even after displacement and loss. We also celebrate with the donors and partners who make that learning possible.

Because when you give to women’s literacy,

• You help a mother read a prescription.
• You help a child stay on track with care and school.
• You help a woman find her voice again.
• You help a community grow stronger.

Thank you for standing with refugee women. Your support is not only teaching literacy. It is helping families live with dignity, confidence, and hope.