Frank C. Laubach

“A literate person is not only an illiterate person who has learned to read and write, he is another person. He is different. To promote literacy is to change man’s conscience by changing his relation to his environment, It is an undertaking on the same plane as the recognition and incarnation of fundamental human rights.”

Dr. Frank C. Laubach (1884-1970) was a pioneer in the literacy movement throughout the world. Through his work, thousands of people have learned to read and have improved the quality of their lives. Dr. Frank Laubach was a missionary among the Maranao people of the Philippines. Concerned about the poverty and injustice these Muslin people suffered, Dr. Laubach became convinced that the ability to read and write was essential for them to begin to solve their problems.

Using a basic instructional approach, Dr. Laubach found that even the most impoverished people could gain control of the written and spoken word. He developed an instructional program using volunteer instructors which became known as "Each One Teach One." Dr. Laubach also demonstrated that literacy is an effective means for positive community mobilization and change. Using teaching materials and techniques to help illiterate adults learn to read, he visited 105 countries in an effort to bring literacy to the "silent billion.” Laubach Way to Reading and Laubach Way to English, which our tutors and students use today, stem from this work.

In 1955, Dr. Laubach founded Laubach Literacy International, a non-profit educational corporation that helped adults and families improve their lives and their communities by learning reading, writing, math, and problem-solving skills. In 2002 Laubach Literacy International merged with Literacy Volunteers of America and is now called ProLiteracy Worldwide.