World Literacy Foundation

One thing I love about the World Literacy Foundation's Youth Ambassador Program is the diversity of people involved. Young people from all different backgrounds, experiences and cultures, coming together because they genuinely care about literacy and education in their own communities and across the world. The passion each individual brings is inspiring.

Every number in this post represents a person who cares and is ready to begin a 3-month program built to make real change.

Congratulations to all of the 2026 Youth Ambassadors, representing the World Literacy Foundation! Meet some of them!

On International Children’s Day, we acknowledge that reading starts at home. Parents build the foundations through everyday talk, stories and play, helping children develop strong language and early literacy skills. With warmth, encouragement and shared moments, families become their child’s first and most powerful teacher.

Congratulations to all of the 2026 Youth Ambassadors, representing the World Literacy Foundation! Meet some of them!

Illiteracy costs the global economy $1.4 trillion annually, impacting jobs and opportunities. This affects society as a whole. Supporting literacy is crucial for expanding opportunity and fostering an equitable future; when literacy grows, so does everything else.

In early childhood, the presence of books in the home is one of the strongest predictors of reading success later in life. For 61% of children who visit a World Literacy Foundation laundromat library, the book they take home is the first one they've ever owned.

WLF's Pop-Up Library program places pre-loved children's books inside laundromats across 25 locations in Australia and more than 10 states in the United States. Volunteers run Read Aloud sessions during peak laundry hours, and parents leave with practical guidance for keeping reading going throughout the week.

The program is built around a simple premise: families are already in the laundromat. Getting books in front of children doesn't require a new destination or a new habit. It requires showing up where
families already are.

This is why our work matters.

Around the world, 70% of children aged 10 in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple sentence. The consequences are profound and long-lasting, limiting access to education, employment, and economic opportunity.

Today, 773 million people cannot read a single word, and a further 2 billion struggle to read even a basic sentence. These figures are stark, but they do not define the full reality.

Behind every number is a child or young person with potential that is yet to be fully realized. Literacy is the foundation that enables learning, builds confidence, and transforms life trajectories.

When a child learns to read, everything begins to change.