Give 500 children the power to read and succeed

In Munyenge and surrounding communities, the ongoing crisis has disrupted children’s access to education and left many children years behind in their learning. To help address this challenge, Centre for Youth and Sustainable Development (CYSD Cameroon) has established three temporary learning spaces where children can continue their education in safer and more accessible environments. However, access to a classroom is only the first step. One of the most pressing challenges we have identified is that many children between the ages of 7 and 18 struggle to read even simple four-letter words. Without the ability to read, children face enormous barriers in learning other subjects and progressing successfully to secondary school.

Through our Reading Proficiency at the Right Level program, we identify children experiencing reading difficulties, assess their reading abilities, and group them according to their learning levels rather than simply their age or grade. We then provide targeted reading, spelling, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension activities designed to help each child progress from their current level. Although our original goal is to reach 500 children, financial constraints meant that this year's program reached 89 children across three communities. These children received structured literacy support aimed at building the foundational skills they need to participate more confidently in school and continue their education.

 One of the children participating in the program is a young learner from one of the communities who had been attending school but was still struggling to recognize and read basic words. Like many children affected by the crisis, gaps in schooling had significantly affected their foundational learning. Through the program, the child was placed in a learning group based on their actual reading level and received focused support from facilitators. Seeing children who once hesitated to read begin sounding out words, spelling simple vocabulary, and participating more confidently in reading activities has reinforced an important lesson for us: children do not necessarily lack the ability to learn; many simply need the right support at the right level and at the right time. The progress of these 89 children is an important step toward our larger goal of ensuring that children in underserved communities can acquire the reading skills they need to succeed in school and in life.