"Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice.”
Asia is home to over 1.5 billion people who represent rich and diverse cultures and languages. Asian art, history, language, and religion has influenced the world for centuries. With the rise of globalization, many of these languages and cultures are marginalized. International Literacy and Development works among under-resourced language communities in Asia to preserve these languages and cultures through literacy and when requested, economic development.
Eurasia is home to a myriad of indigenous peoples whose cultures and languages are threatened. These people have lived in this region over 2,500 years and have rich culture and heritage, but the forces of globalization and urbanization have caused many of them to be overlooked and forgotten by the world. ILAD is exploring avenues for local level literacy, economic development and academic research to help preserve and promote these indigenous languages and cultures.
Much of ILAD’s work crosses borders and impacts multiple projects, regions, and communities. Human Language Technology (HLT) has the potential to provide access to information for speakers of low-resourced languages no matter their location. Monitoring and Evaluation is conducted in all ILAD projects to prove and improve our interventions regardless of location or competency. ILAD’s Global Business Development Centers train local leaders to teach their own countrymen how to open and operate successful, ethical businesses. This training is valuable to communities everywhere because business and commerce exist everywhere.
The Middle East is known as the “cradle of civilization”. Since ancient times, the Middle East attracted migrating peoples who made their homes in the fertile river valleys. Today, the Middle East is made up of nearly 3 million people speaking over 60 languages. Though Arabic, Turkish and Farsi and are widely spoken and understood, there are many minority language speakers who are not literate in their own language or the majority language. These communities are typically overlooked and under-resourced. ILAD works among these marginalized communities to provide tools for literacy, education and economic development in the languages that the people request.
The United States is home to ILAD HQ and operates as the primary training and fundraising location for our international projects. In addition, ILAD recognizes that the United States welcomes thousands of refugees a year into our country. These families represent hundreds of different languages and cultures. Most have suffered atrocities and have fled with only their lives. We work with resettlement agencies and refugees by providing language resources necessary for refugees to assimilate into their new environment. Literacy, Human Language Technology, and Translation are some of the tools ILAD provides to the refugee community.
West Africa is comprised of many countries that have suffered under colonial rule and corrupt governments. The boundaries between nations are often arbitrary and cut through ethnic group and language communities. Due to centuries of abuse, exploitation, and corruption, the nations of West Africa have among the highest illiteracy and poverty levels in the world. ILAD works among minority language speakers in this region to promote development initiatives, education, and mother-tongue literacy.
Central America, comprised of seven countries, is a mountainous and volcanic region known for its rich biodiversity and Mayan heritage. Due to a variety of factors, both natural and man-made, much of the Central American population experiences some level of poverty and lack of quality education.
South Asia is one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world. There is a desire to preserve minority languages and cultures, but urbanization and economic advancement pressures people to function in majority languages on the global stage. ILAD advocates for and promotes local community efforts in educational, linguistic, and business development through collaboration with local entities in both the public and private sectors.
Asia is home to over 1.5 billion people who represent rich and diverse cultures and ...
Central America is a region known for its rich biodiversity and Mayan heritage ...
Eurasia is home to a myriad of indigenous peoples whose cultures and languages are ...
ILAD’s work crosses borders and impacts multiple projects, regions, and communities...
The Middle East is known as the “cradle of civilization”. Since ancient times, the Middle East...
South Asia is one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world. There is a desire to preserve minority...
The United States is home to ILAD HQ and operates as the primary training and fundraising location for our...
West Africa is comprised of many countries that have suffered under colonial rule and corrupt...