Reading Invasion in Uganda
Off-grid, down into the villages where Sunday newspapers arrive on a Tuesday morning, the feeling of forgotten communities is real. School children write apples as “APPOWS". Some take more than five minutes to read the title of our book, "Crash Boom Splash". Those who can decipher the letters on the page will even read aloud if given a chance, but read it mechanically, with very little imagination and real understanding of the story beyond a sense of “this happened, and then that happened”.
STEPi's Uncle Books is stepping up to this challenge. We are in the north and mid-western districts of Uganda waging a change on reading in five districts. A little break from the Russian bombs in Mariupol, this is a reading INVASION. Children and books deserve to be together, have a right to be together, and we are slowly bridging the gap. Bringing books to children and children to books; putting them on the same page to make learning and reading fun again!
At STEPi, we believe that if children learn to read so they can read to learn, then they need a motivation which is positive. We take books to children with LOVE and use them in a meaningful way to connect with them and help them grow emotionally and intellectually.
By:
Micheal Nelson Byaruhanga “AKA Uncle Books”
STEPi Coordinator: Uganda