Learning for Community Empowerment Programme
(LCEP Phase 2)

Background and Objectives

Based on the successful completion of LCEP-1, LCEP-2 is designed as a Ministry of Education Programme to implement a National Literacy Strategy that enables the government to extend literacy activities to a national scale. LCEP-2 contributes to the goals, objectives and targeted indicators of the National Literacy Strategy/Programme.

The USAID funded LCEP-2 provides literacy training to approximately 312,000 people in 20 Provinces of whom 60% are women. The literacy training includes health awareness on life saving measures and enables participants to read and understand health message from other programmes i.e. those implemented by UNICEF and WHO. The literacy programmes includes a range of livelihood skills and practical knowledge of community banking. The acquisition of livelihood skills and support to community banking are project sub components.

LCEP-2 programme team works very closely with government counterparts while building their capacity to manage the programme. LCEP-2 gradually phases out as the government counterparts take charge of the activities. Ministry of Education will have full and complete capacity to continue to roll out nationally by the end of the programme.

Activities

The main activities include:
* Promoting sustainable nationwide training system through establishment of National Literacy Centre (NLC) to deliver and support community-based and managed, integrated lifelong learning, literacy and productive skills training;
* Developing National Literacy Programme (NLP) Institutional Framework, and developing the NLP Community Based Materials Pedagogy and a National Literacy and Productive Skills Programme;
* Developing materials responding to needs identified by rural communities (e.g. finance; business; production; communal management and administration);
* Building and consolidating community capacity through CDC, Community Learning Committees, Youth Committees and Community Banks for management of the learning environment;
* Establishing, training and consolidating government support structures at the district, provincial and national level for the support, management and oversight of the National Literacy Plan implementation.

Results (2010)

* A total of 6,575 Literacy Centres (2,650 for male and 3,925 for female) has been established.
* A total of 152,572 people (60,994 males and 91,578 females) participate and learn at the Literacy Centres in 20 provinces.
* In total, 9,527 Self-Help Learning Groups (3,418 for male and 6,109 for female) have been formed in both urban and rural communities for community self-savings.
* In all 20 provinces, 25,863,215 Afghani (around US$517,000) have been saved by the communities.