The first prong is the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment. With the catchy acronym LIFE, this 10-year plan is to strengthen literacy programmes in the 34 countries that are home to 85 per cent of the world's non-readers. The main strategies of LIFE are to increase international aid, to support national policies and to be a clearing-house for shared information. Ten countries have been invited to participate in the first phase of the initiative: Bangladesh, Egypt, Haiti, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal and Yemen.

The second prong is the Teacher Training Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA), a 10-year project for 46 countries where the shortage of qualified teachers is most severe. In these countries, 4 million new teachers will be needed to meet the Education for All goal of universal primary schooling by 2015. Strategies will include helping countries implement their own education plans, improving the status of teachers and reversing trainee dropout and teacher flight.

The third prong is EDUCAIDS, a partnership between UNESCO and several other United Nations agencies to help governments and institutions mount a jointly developed HIV and AIDS educational campaign. EDUCAIDS will offer young people simple educational materials. The materials will be standardized and comprehensive, yet adapted to the sensitivities of each country and community. Four countries are to benefit in 2006: Cambodia, Jamaica, Moldova and Namibia.

LIFE
Contact: Shigeru Aoyagi    • E-mail: Life@unesco.org
Website: www.unesco.org/education/literacy/LIFE

TTISSA
Contact: Georges Haddad
E-mail: Teachertraininginssa@unesco.org
Website: www.unesco.org/education/TTISSA

EDUCAIDS
Contact: Chris Castle      • E-mail: c.castle@unesco.org
Website: www.unesco.org/education/EDUCAIDS