You see, we didn't know what it could do. We didn't understand the power it can give. Now we do, and this is something no one can take away from us. While the West is driving at full speed into the realm of the information super highway, Lebanon and the rest of the Arab world are still working on the basics, like teaching their people how to read and write. For Lebanon, arguably the literary and cultural center of the Arab world, the fact remains that 19 percent of the adult population is illiterate, and women make up most of that percentage.
Illiteracy rates vary from region to region.
Not surprisingly, illiteracy is lowest in Beirut and its surrounding areas, according to a report by the Rene Mouawad Foundation, a women's advocacy group that is working to eliminate illiteracy in rural parts of the country. But resulting from extreme poverty and neglect by the government, the foundation reports that the city of Akkar and the adjacent towns and villages have the highest rates of illiteracy and educational deprivation especially among women. Overall, illiteracy in the country is highest among older women. According to the foundation, some 46 percent of Lebanese women aged 40 and above are illiterate, compared to 22 percent of men in the same age group. The poor are the most affected, with more than 67 percent of all illiterates being from impoverished rural areas.