Promote Reading & Literacy among Nigerian children

Promoting Reading and Literacy Program listed on the GlobalGiving platform. Although no funds have been raised through the platform yet, we remain committed to the vision of improving literacy and educational access for children in underserved communities across Nigeria.

This report outlines the goals of the initiative, progress made through other support, and ongoing opportunities for impact through future funding.

Project Objective

The Promoting Reading and Literacy Program aims to establish reading corners in communities with high numbers of out-of-school children, particularly in four priority states in Northern Nigeria: Yobe, Zamfara, Bauchi, and Taraba. These areas face severe challenges related to access to quality education, largely due to poverty, insecurity, and inadequate learning infrastructure.

Our reading corners are designed to be safe, accessible, and culturally inclusive spaces where children can discover the joy of reading and begin their educational journey.

Why Literacy Access Matters

Nigeria has over 10 million out-of-school children, with a significant concentration in the northern region. Literacy rates are especially low among girls and children from low-income households. Despite these challenges, there is strong community support for non-formal learning solutions like reading corners, which offer a pathway to reintegrate children into education and improve their future prospects.

Program Components

• When fully funded and implemented, the reading corners will:
• Be stocked with over 200 books in English and local languages.
• Serve as informal literacy hubs for children aged 4–15.
• Be supported by trained local volunteers and educators.
• Include parental engagement sessions to promote home literacy support.

Progress So Far

Although we have not yet raised funds via GlobalGiving, significant progress has been made through local support and partnerships:

• Preliminary needs assessments were conducted in 6 communities.

• Local volunteers and schools have been identified to host reading corners.

• We received in-kind support from stakeholders to set up temporary reading spaces.

• Donated books are being collected to pilot the initiative.

Most notably, reading corners have already been established across 7 communities in Yobe, Jos, Kaduna, Lagos, and Ogun, reaching 454 children with access to books, literacy activities, and safe learning environments.

What We Need

With donor support, we aim to:

• Fully set up 12 reading corners in high-need areas.

• Provide furniture, educational resources, and solar lamps.

• Train 40 community volunteers as literacy facilitators.

• Reach at least 2,000 children in the first 6 months of implementation.