AS a prominent attorney, Sanya Goffe is accustomed to navigating the complexities of law and justice. However, it is her work running a charity adult literacy centre with her husband that truly ignites her passion and brings unparalleled joy.

Goffe shared that the journey began at The University of the West Indies, Mona, while pursuing her law degree. She recalls vividly when a young man approached a group of students, persuading them to sign up as volunteers for the then Jamaica Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL) Foundation. That young man was Gavin Goffe, her now husband.

“I remember when Gavin made the appeal for teachers the very first year of law school, and somebody asked the question, ‘Do we get paid?’ He stood, and he said, ‘Yep, you get paid richly, dividends of the heart’, and that response has never left me,” she told the
Jamaica Observer.

Later, they would go on to establish the Adult Learning Centres of Jamaica (ALC), a programme which had its genesis as one of the satellite centres of the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), before breaking off to become a registered charity in 2008.

“When we first started, there were a lot of adults who didn’t have access to the kind of mobile phone and Internet technology they have now, so back then, we would’ve brought in desktop computers for them to just get a chance to feel it out and operate on a basic level,” said Goffe.

“We had adults who were in their 70s who were unable to even write the letter ‘A’. I mean this was the level of illiteracy we were seeing. You had some people who went all the way through primary school or maybe part of secondary school, but just didn’t remember anything, and they just kind of wanted to get a refresher,” she told the Sunday Observer.

“To this day there are people who come and say, ‘I just want to be able to help my child with their homework. I want to be able to read to my child at night’,” added Goffe.

Witnessing the significant dependency of individuals who struggle with illiteracy, the husband and wife duo was inspired to create a space where adults could come to become functionally literate and empower themselves with essential reading and writing skills for everyday life.

“You can do so much more if you have that independence. No one can come to your community and tell you something because you can read it for yourself; you can enquire for yourself. You have a cellphone, you can access the Internet, and you can make an informed decision because you can read and understand for yourself,” said Goffe.

Fundamentally a charity organisation, ALC operates out of the Swallowfield Gospel Chapel at 5-7 Swallowfield Road in Kingston on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Though she is now in a more administrative role, Goffe said that, with the full support of her mother Jackie Young, who serves as principal of ALC, and a team of dedicated volunteers, adults can access mathematics and English classes at the basic and intermediate levels.

“We have dedicated teachers who commit, week after week, to teach, and they come out, notwithstanding what their day was like, notwithstanding what their work pressure was like, or how they may feel physically. They come out, and they put that at the door, and they really show up for the students,” said Goffe.

“We are not trying to push anybody for any diploma or any degree, that’s not the programme. The wins for us are the improvements in your life. You’re able to now do things that you never got to do simply because you have that independence that comes with being literate,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Reflecting on her encounter with a 77-year-old programme participant, Goffe said she was brought to tears as she watched the woman work earnestly to write the letters of the alphabet. She eventually completed the programme with the ability to write her name and function within society.

“To see them moving through the programme and when they are able to say to you, ‘I was actually able to read a passage in my Bible without any help’, that is what brings the feeling of satisfaction for me,” said Goffe, her voice filled with awe.

“When you teach people who just want to learn, it brings into sharp focus your blessings and that being able to read a sign and to do basic math is a blessing. You don’t have any idea of the kind of freedom you have that you can just move around and anything you see in front of you, you can interpret it, you can understand it, and you can read it,” she told the Sunday Observer.

“For me, it brings a kind of attitude adjustment, and many of the other teachers have shared similar experiences. It keeps things in perspective and you understand the depth of your blessing,” said Goffe.

According to Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams, Jamaica’s overall literacy rate stands at 88 per cent. In an appeal to persons still struggling to read and write, Goffe urged them to visit the centre for classes and make the first step in transforming their life.

“Our quorum is one. If one student turns up, we are teaching,” she said.

“If you come to us on the last day, we are going to register you. If you made the decision on that last day, we are not turning you away,” she promised.

“We’re going to take you in, and we are going to register you, because sometimes just taking that step is kind of what’s needed to feel like you are in the game and that you’re ready to learn,” she said.