Hawaii Literacy offers free education program

LIHU‘E — Hawai‘i Literacy, a grant-funded nonprofit organization, is back on Kaua‘i with its free, adult-tutoring program that also helps adults get their GED (General Education Development) degree, driver’s license, learn about college, help with getting a new job and learning new computer skills while their keiki get tutored, too.

According to Hawai‘i Literacy, one in six adults in Hawai‘i struggle with literacy. Many adults in Hawai‘i were forced to drop out of school when they were younger to help their families work in their farms back in the plantation days, and today there are more single parents who had to drop out of school to take care of their ‘ohana who are in need of help with going back to college.

Adults can get tutored while their children get tutored too. However, adults don’t need to have keiki in order to use their tutoring services. Hawai‘i Literacy’s Kaua‘i Coordinator Jessica Gormley is picking up where the program last left off.

“Our dream is to open an office very soon, but due to the pandemic we are working remotely at this time. We also hope to add a bookmobile on Kaua‘i.”

Hawai‘i Literacy has over 100 tutors and learners statewide, and currently only a few on Kaua‘i.

“We want to grow our Kaua‘i program,” Gormley said. “We are actively recruiting volunteer tutors to match with adults in our community who want to benefit from Hawai‘i Literacy.”

Gormley said the program is in need of new technology, e-books and online literacy resources for hundreds of keiki and adults in need.

“We are accepting donations of new or gently-used tablets, laptops and e-readers computers in order to better serve our island,” Gormley said.”

For more information, email jessica.gormley@hawaiiliteracy.org.