• Over 50% of Indigenous families in very remote areas speak their Indigenous language
• Only 40% of Aboriginal children remain school until year 12
• Only 1 in 5 kids in a Northern Territory remote community can read at an acceptable level
• Less than 36% of people in a remote community have access to a library and books

These are the facts in Australia as indicated on the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) website. In Australia there are a few large foundations and organizations making efforts to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people with regards to literacy and numeracy. The ILF is one of the largest; they work to provide access to books and literacy resources to over 200 remote Indigenous communities, and have already donated nearly AUS$494,000 (CAN$485,000) and 100,000 books in 2013. The Australian Numeracy and Literacy Foundation (ANLF) is another big foundation working to improve Indigenous literacy. Their Wall of Hands Project raised AUS$320,000 in donations to improve language, literacy, and numeracy standards in Australia.

About a week ago, OOdals, a new UK-based Amazon-like online store selling Books and Movies, announced that they will donate 10% of all their profits to support Australian literacy charities (article), including ILF and ANLF.

Literacy is one of the most important tools for improving Indigenous life, especially among young learners. It is not only about literacy in English but also literacy in their native language because language is a vital part of their culture. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial to improve literacy in their own language as well as in English. Their language and culture cannot fade with this generation.