3.2 FUNCTIONAL ADULT LITERACY AND REFLECT
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM   
Unequal power relations between women and men manifest themselves in many different ways…
Two-thirds of children denied primary educations are girls, and 75 per cent of the world’s 876 million illiterate adults are women. Every extra year a girl spends at school could reduce child mortality by ten per cent (UN, World’s Women). In recent years there has been a growing disillusion with adult Literacy work. The United Nations “Education for All” conference in 1990 aimed to raise the profile of education as an international issue – but since then, worldwide, the emphasis has been on improving primary education for children. “There has been little investment in adult literacy.”
In Mubende district, in 2002,only 66.4% of the women proclaimed to being literate compared to 76.4% of the men.
For example, in Kassanda North constituency, out of 24,584:21,083 people; male and female respectively who participated in the parliamentary and presidential erections in 1996, 1951 people spoiled their ballot papers as a result of illiteracy and thus, all their votes were invalid
According to the KCF mini surveys, the government of Uganda has not taken effective and bold steps in promoting Adult literacy Mubende. There are some adult literacy classes attempted by the Community department but these have been limited in capacity and they are far and wide, not functional. One of the best tested and a wonderworking alternate approach to FAL is REFLECT -Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques. It is a fusion of Paulo Freire’s adult learning theories, the practices of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and other popular education processes.
In Practice, REFLECT is a structured participatory learning process that facilitates people’s critical analysis of their environment, identification and discussion of problems. This results into practical solutions for sustainable development. Because REFLECT is an evolving process, it has remained relevant and consequently adapted to address many changing situations. For example, HIV/AIDS has been incorporated into adult learning with an Off-shoot of REFLECT called STAR. REFLECT is being used in Peace and Conflict Resolution, Participatory School Governance, ICT, to mention but a few.
Through REFLECT therefore, there is a chance to attain adult education while addressing relevant social issues. The focus is helping the less privileged people to help themselves.
One of the fundamental promises of the REFLECT approach is that literacy techniques in themselves do not empower people. In itself literacy will not bring dramatic benefits in respect of health, finance, productivity, Community organization or good governance. In order to achieve some of these additional benefits, it has been found necessary to make the literacy programme a “cause”.  This culminates into two parallel and interweaving processes: a literacy process and an empowering process based on community led actions.
 Through REFLECT therefore, adults have a chance to attain adult education while addressing relevant social issues.
One of the fundamental premises of the REFLECT approach is that literacy techniques in themselves do not empower people. In itself literacy will not bring dramatic benefits in respect of health, finance, productivity, Community organization or good governance. In order to achieve some of these additional benefits, it is necessary to make the literacy programme a ‘cause”.  It is necessary to have two parallel and interweaving processes: a literacy process and an empowering process based on community led actions. 
By learning to record simple sentences of their lives, women and adolescent girls are getting more confident to join associations, attend development meetings and start having the power to sit with men and discuss issues of inequality based on gender.
When women learn to read and write they can interpret icons on medical charts, mmunisation cards and medical inscriptions. They can read health awareness messages about dangerous diseases like HIV. They can even read the expiry dates of condoms..
The esteem got after demystifying the “power” of the pen, can bring them closer to Community working groups where they get unlimited access to important messages.
With the Result, MDGs 4, 5 and 6 which are: ”Reduce Child Mortality; Improve Maternal Health and; Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other diseases”, are easily attained.
There is need to set up more REFLECT circles and maintain the existing ones in Mubende District. Training of Facilitators, payments of facilitators and post literacy development of participants, especially women, are called for.

ACT NOW