Being illiterate is like wearing unseen shackles. It not only limits an individual’s ability to escape poverty and reach their full potential, it also limits a person’s ability to stand up for and advocate for one’s self.

And yet more than 780 million adults (age 15 and over) globally still lack basic reading and writing skills. Women account for nearly two-thirds of illiterate adults. Youth literacy statistics are not much more inspiring: Approximately 126 million aged 15-24 are still unable to read worldwide, accounting for 10.6 percent of the global youth population.

While the international community has made great strides in promoting global literacy in the past 15 years, significant challenges remain.

Online programmes are offering people education in languages, such as this page. It offers English lessons to anyone around the world seeking to improve their skills in the language, whether that be in preparation to study or work abroad or just to expand their knowledge.

Images: Afghan women attend one of the almost three thousand literacy courses supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund. UN Photo/Sebastian Rich.