Every seventh adult in the world is unable to read a traffic sign or fill out a job application. And while illiteracy is highest in developing nations, it's also a problem facing many in the world's richest countries.

Although the percentage of those who can’t read or write is highest in places like rural India and poor African villages,  the problem is global.  Illiteracy turns up everywhere, even in the world's wealthiest nations.

In the U.S. the numbers are staggering.

Thirty per cent of American adults don't even have the literacy skills to fill out a job application or to help their children with homework.

Fortunately, in the U.S. there are many places for adults to learn how to read and write. There are adult literacy centres which provide free licensed teachers to teach adults basic skills.

However, in Russia for most people these options are unavailable.

19-year-old Elena is learning to read

Elena gave birth to her son before even reading her first word, but now she's learning alongside him. The 19-year-old Elena slipped through the net of the small-town school system because her parents were too drunk to care.

She is now able to read the syllables of a fairy tale to her one-year-old son Danila. Only recently has she learnt to read at first-grade level.

Ordinary schools don’t have licences to teach adults, so Elena is teaching herself. She knows all too well how hard it is to make a living and support Danila without any education.

In the meantime, she earns a living by painting walls – but she's now set her sights on improving her numeracy as well as her literacy.

And there might be thousands like Elena, and that's just in Russia alone.