On the world's list of priorities literacy is very low. Less than 3 per cent of official development assistance is spent on education, with just a fraction of that going to literacy programs. While it would cost just $7 billion to teach every person to read and write the U.S. and Europe alone spend upwards of $18 billion every year on makeup products.

That's a discouraging disparity. It means that there are still 120 million children not in primary school and that nearly a billion people cannot read pages like this one. No one doubts that even a basic education is vital. The UN estimates that earning potential increases by as much as 10 per cent for every year of schooling. Basic literacy vastly improves a family's quality of life: they are better able to find jobs, prevent diseases and protect their rights and dignity.

Less than half of the Honduran workforce has completed grade six.

Adventure In Missions education project originated in Colorado Barra, a remote village that is accessible only by dugout canoe. Prior to the project, no one from the community had completed more than grade six. We believed the Lord was telling us that he wanted us to use Christian young people who were sold out to Him to change the entire country of Honduras by giving them the opportunity and hope to reach their God given potential.

What's key about education is that it allows people to lift themselves out of poverty. It's not charity, but rather a long-term and sustainable path to development. We are seeing that happen one student at a time.