Brian Julius

In 2006, we created and launched the Speaking Book – a world-first in health education for low literacy communities.

The Speaking Book addresses the worldwide issue of low literacy, which threatens over a billion adults. Low literacy is a potentially life-threatening problem – people with low health literacy are 12 to 18 times more likely not to understand, ignore or confuse medical treatment and preventative measures, and therefore at much higher risk to suffer further affliction, illness and victimization.

Each Speaking Book consisting of 16 pages for the healthcare series, or a page for each letter of the alphabet for the literacy program, and is supported by straightforward and easy to understand text. For each page, there is a corresponding push button that triggers a sound track of the text, so no matter the level of reading comprehension, the information will be seen, read, heard and understood, with powerful results.

The Speaking Book is totally self-contained and user-driven, so that the messages can be listened to in any order and as often as necessary. It provides a cost-effective means to present complex health care issues by adapting to the specific culture and needs of vulnerable and rural communities. The Speaking Book, which is always given away free, is powered by easily replaceable batteries.

Besides our Speaking Book program, I am also actively involved with Rotary Clubs on international health and literacy projects and was awarded the Rotary International “Service Above Self” Award, Rotary’s highest form of recognition, only presented to about 100 Rotarians each year out of 1.3 million members worldwide.

The Speaking Book was created out of necessity. My wife, Zane Wilson-Julius, founder 24 years ago of SADAG (The South African Depression and Anxiety Group), had received a major award and funding from the World Bank for SADAG’s Teen Suicide Prevention Program. We found that, irrespective of the school children’s ability to read, there was no interest in any of the printed material and handouts, containing critical life-saving information. Hence our creation of the Speaking Book to be seen, read, heard and understood.

Over 500,000 Speaking Books have been distributed world wide and, with each Speaking Book, reaching multiple users with messages that are always understood, we have impacted on millions of lives.

In 2013, in partnership with Rotary International and UNICEF, we developed a Speaking Book for use in Pakistan to explain, in local Urdu and Pashto languages, to mothers of young children the absolute necessity of immunizing their children against Polio. This outreach program proved so successful that it was repeated at an even larger scale with 15,000 health care workers for polio prevention in Nigeria. Now that Nigeria has been declared polio-free, it is being introduced in Afghanistan. Not only does the Speaking Book make the messages come alive, but also reduces the time health workers have to spend in dangerous areas, where so many have been attacked and killed by extremists trying to prevent distribution of the polio vaccine.

An “encore occupation” is a wonderful opportunity for many who have been fortunate enough to accumulate enough money to now pursue objectives not necessarily related to personal wealth creation. It’s a great time to give back and use one’s ability to the benefit of many less fortunate, or to mentor those who can gain from one’s experience and knowledge. Joining Rotary, for example is another way to get involved with Service Above Self and something I have totally embraced and thoroughly enjoyed being part of a worldwide service organization.

(Brian Julius and Zane Wilson were honored as Encore.org Purpose Prize Fellows in 2009.)