International Literacy Day is celebrated annually on 8 September. The issue of literacy is a key component of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

This year’s theme was ‘Literacy and skills development” and focused on skills and competencies required for employment, careers, and livelihoods, particularly technical and vocational skills, along with transferable skills and digital skills.

FPA Sri Lanka used this day as an opportunity to highlight other types of literacy that are equally important such as Health literacy and Human Rights literacy.

We believe that improvements in Sexual and Reproductive Health literacy can:

• Enable Gender Equality (for example by helping girls to stay in school thereby advancing access to better jobs) Breaking the chain of poverty
• Prevent unwanted pregnancies and maternal mortality related to young age of child-bearing
• Reduce risk of STI’s and HIV
• Improve women's reproductive health outcomes by prevention and mitigation of illness

When it comes to Human Rights literacy, we emphasise specifically on understandings of dignity, equality and freedom which we communicate through our service delivery and Comprehensive Sexuality Programmes carried out.

Here are some of the social media posts done to celebrate the day: