illiteracy

i have heard quite a bit about illiteracy among adults in this part of the world. to this point i have never met an adult that cannot read or write- until thursday. i found out that my neighbor (who i wrote about in the next entry) cannot read or write, only speak. i kept forgetting and would show her a word in my translation dictionary. oops! at least its not such a taboo thing here- as hardly any woman over age 45 can read or write. so, she was not offended. i cannot imagine life without being able to read and write. my friend has three children. the oldest is 20 and the youngest is in first grade. why would she not learn along with one of the kids? it must be a mindset or something- a hurdle that feels like it cannot be overcome.