Every day, 10-year-old Doreen Chingomo joins children from her village at Nazarene Church Camp in Kamwendo, Malawi, for after-school activities that reinforce their reading skills.

For Doreen, the daily practice has paid off. She’s moved from the bottom of the class — with a reputation for failure — to the top of her class of 40 boys and 52 girls.

Getrude Mabanya, a volunteer at Nazarene Church Camp, says that through the Literacy Boost program World Vision supports the community with training and books that cultivate a love of reading.

At reading camps and clubs, Getrude and other volunteers teach children songs, games, and stories that reinforce what they learn in school. Children are paired with “reading buddies” to encourage them to read at home.

There are book banks, portable libraries full of colorful story books. The books are often written by parents and community members, so they reflect values, traditions, language, and culture that are familiar to the children.

In 2011, World Vision, in partnership with Save the Children, began implementing Literacy Boost in selected development programs in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Malawi. Rwanda was added in 2013.  

The phenomenal success of the program in improving children’s literacy has prompted World Vision to expand into other countries in Africa and South Asia.

 

Photo ©2014 Charles Kabena/World Vision