Free to Learn March, Cape Town 2002:
Learners and educators marched on parliament as part of the Global Campaign for Education
carrying a coffin to symbolise the adult education crisis in South Africa.

Advocacy campaigns have a vital role to play in promoting adult learning throughout South African society. Not only do they encourage adults to engage in a process of lifelong learning, they also help mobilise the resources needed to strengthen the adult education and development sector.

Adult Learners' Week

6-11 September Adult Learners' Week (ALW) is the highlight of the adult education calender. This global advocacy campaign aims to promote a culture of lifelong learning and enable people from all walks of life to develop their full potential.

Global Campaign for Education

6-13 April The Global Campaign for Education is an international movement of civil society organisations that lobby and monitor governments' efforts toward achieving the six Education for All objectives by 2015.

Global Call to Action against Poverty

The Global Call to Action against Poverty is an alliance of civil society organisations working together to bring an end to poverty around the world. The GCAP is calling for trade justice, debt cancellation and a dramatic increase in aid. The GCAP is also monitoring governments efforts towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals. For more information visit their website at www.whiteband.org.

UN Literacy Decade

2003-2012 This year marks the start of the United Nations' Literacy Decade which aims to reduce global illiteracy by 50% by 2015. The decade focuses on Literacy as Freedom and aims to address the needs of the poorest of the poor under the banner: Literacy for all, voice for all, learning for all.

Learning Cape Festival

12 August - 10 September The Learning Cape Festival promotes a culture of lifelong learning through a month-long programme of workshops, open days and special events. The Festival profiles the central role lifelong learning has to play in economic and social development and aims to build sustainable partnerships between government, business and civil society to ensure that the Western Cape develops its full potential.