Page 44 equipment and scholarships to enable students to further their University education in a number of countries, including Algeria, Venezuela, Spain, Cuba etc. Eradication of Illiteracy 127. The Government has paid special attention to this area from the onset in the face of the colonial legacy the Sahrawi people suffered from for decades. Several programmes have been initiated for the citizenry. Human and material resources have been deployed to carry out these programmes at the national level and all adults have acquired primary education through a 3-month literacy education programme each year during the summer school holidays when Sahrawi students returning from friendly and sister countries are engaged in the teaching of citizens. 128. Following the positive results produced by these programmes, the Government embarked on a voluntary programme for those interested in illiteracy eradication programmes with the support of the National Congress of the Sahrawi Women. It concentrates on teaching courses to improve the capacity of teachers and lecturers. Lectures focus on the role of the citizen in building a democratic society, family and health sensitization, civic education, ethics etc. 1. Protection of the Family (Article 18 of the Charter) 129. Protection of the family is a constitutional requirement and special attention has been given to this in the general policy of the Sahrawi Republic through the implementation of programmes geared towards education, health and prevention of diseases and social ills. 130. The Sahrawi law makers have emphasised in the Preamble of the Constitution that the Sahrawi people are determined to build democratic institutions in this respect and enact the appropriate laws that guarantee freedoms and political, economic, cultural and family rights.