After Norway and Iceland, Finland is the third most sparsely populated country in Europe. For years, it hung uncomfortably close to the Soviet Union; in fact, a former foreign minister listed Finland’s three top foreign threats as “Russia, Russia, and Russia.”

Learning to read can help many adults overcome poverty and become self-sustaining, but in many countries it’s not a high policy priority. At the Shikharapur Community Learning Center in Kathmandu, the Family Literacy Program, developed with funding from UNESCO’s Capacity Development for Education for All (CapEFA) program, mothers and children learn to read together. In Nepal, 75.5 percent of men and 57.4 percent of women can read.

Imagine an expansive field, filled with grassy areas, bogs, wet moors. Off to the side, sheep graze. Occasionally, you'll see a flag posted. There are a few benches, alongside the paths. There's a old thatch-roofed Leanach cottage off to the left. And, inexplicably, an air of sadness infused with every breath you take.