The 85 million children growing up in Indonesia are the first generation in the country's history to experience sustained economic growth. Yet a lack of access to books and an underappreciation of reading have left Indonesia's literacy ranked near the very bottom of global charts ensuring literacy's place as a weak link in the nation's commitment to improved quality of life and human resources.
Today, more than half of Indonesians who complete school are functionally illiterate, meaning that they are unable to comprehend what they read and are deprived of the social, emotional, academic and intergenerational benefits of reading. The situation is especially grim for the most marginalized rural communities who are scattered across the world's largest archipelago.
