Tika Maya – Bhutan

“I think my first learning began from the community gathering and interaction with friends while in a village of Bhutan around the age of 16 years. Being literate is a greatest asset in one’s life. Knowledge in our time got carried over by sharing with friends. It also got transferred by a “give & take” process. By sharing knowledge we were able to build up our confidence level and self esteem.”

Rewshen – Kurdistan

“I was 12 years old, in Jr. high school. The first thing I learned in English was the meaning of “I love you.”

Bhim Lal – Bhutan

“My first learning began at the age of 14 or 15 years, primarily from mom and secondly from elders/seniors of my family and community, while in Bhutan. To me literate means one is able to learn and get knowledge from others. Knowledge is independent of age, which does not finish by sharing but instead increases. Knowledge is bound by cultures, traditions, norms and values of a society. It gets transferred from social gathering and interactions, religious and spiritual functions, and cultural celebrations.”

Selahattin – Kurdistan

“In Jr. high school, we used to listen to American radio. “Voice of America” was the first thing I learned in English. I wondered what it meant so I found a Turkish-to-English translating book at school and translated each word into Turkish to understand the meaning.”

Fredo Ali Kamara – Sierra Leone

“Literacy means formal education, when one goes to an institution to learn to read and write. Of us siblings, I learned through school in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Ivory Coast.”

Kimet – Kurdistan

“I was 8 years old. When I would fast during Ramadan, I would secretly eat candy and pretend like I fasted the entire day. After the Ramadan was over though, I felt like I cheated myself by doing that and gave me a feeling of dissatisfaction. This was a learning lesson for me as I realized that it isn’t the idea behind things that makes you feel achieved, but it’s getting the actual work done that makes you feel achieved.”

Sahar – Syria

“My dream for my kids is to learn and not see what I saw.”

Sahar – Syria

“When I was 4 years old, I went to a ‘madressa’ (school) to learn to read and write in Arabic. Literacy means to be educated and to read and write, through university or college, in Arabic.”

NarPati – Bhutan

“I first learnt Nepali alphabets by placing corn seeds on the floor back in Bhutan. I came to Canada in 2009 with no English, went to LINC Classes for some time here in Edmonton and now can speak, read and write some basic English language.”

Manas Biel – South Sudan

“A father teaches a son in fear of death, so they know how to care for the family. Girls learn from their mothers, even today in Canada. Our culture is love. To teach your children as you are, children come from home first. Learn how to deal with people; when you go to school, you have to be careful. Girls learn from moms, learning to appreciate what is good and knowing what is bad.”

Dilliram – Bhutan

“Being literate means a lot to me now.

I came to know that knowledge is the “light in the darkness”, which is transferred by communication and interactions. “Time is the teacher of one’s life” and man learns more from his experience.

I hope learning for the future generation could be focussed on developing interest in preserving your own religion and culture. The message that I would like to share is respect the laws of the country you live in. Be honest and dedicate yourself to serve this country and society.”

Mihrican – Kurdistan

“I first started learning before I attended school. We would make cones from newspapers and we would take it to stores around the neighbourhood, and they would trade sunflower seeds for our homemade newspaper cones. It was like a business.”

Sahar – Syria

“Learning means light, it means knowing everything, recognizing everything around you.”

Lado Luala – South Sudan

“Learning from people is the foundation, more than any school. Today I learn from people in Canada.”

Bongo – South Sudan

“Education is of two types, formal and informal. My informal education began with my parents, when I was small and young, my mother taught me to speak. When I spoke it would be a lot of the teachings of my mom and dad. At age 3/4, relatives and neighbours taught us how to interact with other kids. At age 6/7 it was the most difficult part for me when my father taught me how to cultivate the garden, then how to build a home with stucco. The duties of the father, as you can see here, are to teach the son how to cut the grass and build a home. My mother taught me language, but the real growing up was the responsibility of my father. When I reached age 18, people in the community expected me to get married, I’d have to learn how to talk to the ladies (this is a real learning because boys are often very shy). I would be encouraged to go to the dances to see the women. Today, if I go back home, my mother will still tell me to live at home. If I’m not married, I am still like a child in the house.”

Manyua – Sierra Leone

“Literacy means reading and writing and the ability to spell my name in English.”

Pastor – Eritrea

“You learn from being part of the community.”

Bhim Lal – Bhutan

“Knowledge is independent of age, which does not finish by sharing but instead increases. Knowledge is bound by cultures, traditions, norms and values of a society. It gets transferred from social gathering and interactions, religious and spiritual functions, and cultural celebrations.”

Samuel Kur – South Sudan

“I was born in Sudan, in a village. Learning for me began when I was 3 years old, the first time I knew the difference between myself and something around me.

Learning happened through our environment. A child grows and learns new things through his/her environment, with friends, from Uncles, Aunties, the village and community. When one grows up, their family divides.

A child has 3 ways of learning:
1) Family
2) Friends
3) Community

A boy learns from his father. A girl learns from her mother. The 4th way of learning is somewhat independent and passed on to kids.”

Hawa – Sierra Leone

“Literacy to me means paying attention to others around you, supporting their needs.”

Mayusu – Sierra Leone

“Learning to me means how to be respectful.”

Aminata – Sierra Leone

“Literacy to me means one is able to read and write in English.”

Shadan – Kurdistan

“When I was a kid, my mom was a tailor and she would teach me how to sew. I would sew clothes for dolls and sell them to my sister. This is when I started learning.”

Moses – South Sudan

“Learning for me began when taking care of my parents, knowing took place through my Mom and Dad, growing up I found friends and relatives that came to visit. Learning, then, took place as an extension of family.  Growing up to learn as a boy, was different; learning was different for boys and for girls, there are different responsibilities for boys and girls that begin at the age of 7. Parents push us to go to school, widen our knowledge, work with the community, learn how people interact. As a teenager, there were a lot of challenges to deal with family because various crises occurring, I looked forward to helping others in need. Learning is not only getting from elders, but also from young people you may not even know. You can then know where you are going. I had to adjust myself to realize this. If someone says something, you must acknowledge it (especially the young). It involves listening, and thinking, and using my own sense because I have to know what is in me. If you don’t assess your own thinking and understanding, you’ll be asleep. It is only then, that you can do good.”

Ganesh – Bhutan

“My understanding now, my learning in my life first started when I got trained for local farming and cattle rearing in a remote village of Bhutan, including handcrafting skills learnt from my parents while I was 14/15 years of age. Knowledge during our time got transferred by asking Guruss – the teacher and also through appreciative inquiry.”

Eden – Eritrea

“Learning happened through storytelling, from elders and even in Church. My Grandmother told me the story ‘Milenu’ at age 5 or 6, it made me believe in magic. Learning is a lifetime thing, it is a precious gift from God.”

Rewshen –Kurdistan

“I first started learning when my mom would sit me and my siblings down at an early age and we’d make dolls with Kurdish fabric, and stuff them with sheep wool. This has developed into sewing skills that I use to this day when I knit our pillows at home”

NarPati – Bhutan

“To be literate in my community means to be able to read, write and understand any paper documents.”

Shadan – Kurdistan

“At the age of 9 I started learning the English alphabet, the “ABC’s.”

Ester – South Sudan

“Between ages 6 and 8 we had a small summer event called ‘play house’ where boys physically make a house and girls get pots for sorghum and beans to grind. This event happens around 3 or 4pm in the afternoon. We bring water to cook.”

Selahattin – Kurdistan

“I first started learning at the age of 3. I would help my dad with gardening and plant seeds in our backyard. It taught us to be patient, as we had to wait months, if not years, until the plants and trees would produce fruits and vegetables for us to eat.”

Dilliram – Bhutan

“At the age of 13 years, my destiny made me shoulder the responsibility of my entire home and taught me additional real-life lessons in my life. I learned some Nepali alphabets and letters at the age of 13 or 14 years. I still cry sometime within me for not having the opportunity to go to school during that time, owing to my family situation. So I regret a lot these days, with no English to communicate with others. So being literate means a lot to me now. I came to know that knowledge is the ‘light in the darkness,’ which is transferred by communication and interactions. ‘Time is the teacher of one’s life’ and man learns more from his experience. I learnt some Nepali letters/alphabets at the age of 13 or 14 years using slates (stones) on a wooden board.”

Lado Luala – South Sudan

“Learning for me began when I was born. I had a community that was ready for young people to grow. My family is a big family. Learning essentially began when I could see and recognize common sense. The youngest and adults ate separately, it was age segregated. The Elders could still hear what the other kids were saying though. As kids, we would play together. Kids learn by kids how to play and learn their language too. Boys prepare for cultivating crop, ladies are separate. Boys could not cook, only women could cook, gender separation was appreciated. Getting older, I was separated from my mom, and now working in the fields, milking cows, all was knowledge. School was still so important. I used to go to school 3 hours away by running back and forth! People would learn how to dance and sing, you can sing many songs! We learned you cannot talk to ladies with bad words. Women or parents only give leadership to someone who doesn’t use bad language. I used to get challenged when I travelled to the city. It took me a long time; I struggled in school. I sold cigarettes and went to school. I sold them for 10 days and then went to school.”

Manyua – Sierra Leone

“Learning began for me when I was a young girl with my mother and grandparents and it continued on until I was married, moved to Liberia and then Sierra Leone.”

Mayusu – Sierra Leone

“To me, literacy means one is able to write in many different languages.”