AFRICA, England - Bishop Backs World Read Aloud Day to Promote Global Literacy

"Literacy is at the heart of education and every person who learns to read is a cause for celebration," says the Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford, ahead of World Read Aloud Day, Wednesday, March 6.
"World Read Aloud Day gives everyone the chance to join in a growing campaign to bring not just the joy of reading but the right to read and write to the 793 million people around the world who cannot."

World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to
show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. It motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child's right to a safe education and access to books and technology.

"For 2000 years," says Bishop Stephen, "Christians have passed on the good news of Christ's sacrifice to redeem the world by reading aloud from the Bible and by praying aloud for the World and everyone in it. One of the first acts of Jesus' ministry was to read aloud from the Scriptures.

"Wednesday's Love Life Live Lent action to change the world is to be a good neighbour and to reach out to someone living in an isolated and lonely bubble. I would encourage as many as possible to join in on Wednesday; to read aloud to a child or friend; to give a book; to promote global literacy.

"One of the joys of parenting is reading stories to your children. But I also read poems to my wife. I read the psalms and scriptures aloud each morning. And even when I read poetry on my own, it is usually aloud. When you taste the spoken word in your mouth an extra zest of meaning is added. It doesn't just speak to others, you hear it yourself with a new clarity. So read something aloud tomorrow. Even if it is just to yourself!"

World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child's right to a safe education and access to books and technology http://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday/ .

Love Life Live Lent - Be the Change!, written by theologian Dr Paula Gooder and her husband the Revd Peter Babington and published by Church House Publishing, leads people through simple daily activities to make small but revolutionary changes to the world around them during Lent 2013. More than 40,000 copies of the 2013 Love Life Live Lent: Be the Change! have been sold so far. All previous editions have sold 400,000 copies in total.