At IIE we believe that literacy is key in solving all the challenges we face especially in rural Kenya. Literacy gives a person the ability to navigate the world with dignity. The ability to read, write, and comprehend is critical to taking control of our own lives and advocating for ourselves, for our families, and for our communities. When the young women aren’t equipped with those skills, they’re left with limited options in life.  This is where IIE believes that literacy is key in solving challenges in society i.e. poverty, governance issues and health challenges.

Our basic quality of life depends on our ability to read, write and comprehend.  Low literacy impacts on every aspect of life and every person as a result. These populations are at-risk for unemployment, low educational attainment, and lack of access to better standards of living.  Unmet literacy needs create barriers to success and continues to wheel the cycle of poverty in a household.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (2017) Child Poverty In Kenya research studies reveal that 29% in rural Kenya cannot read or can only read parts of the sentence of the reading test card during the survey.   They are failing to acquire reading skills, thus remaining on the periphery of the learning process and do not fully access the curriculum.

Since English is the dominant language of instruction and learning, these children remain disadvantaged into the future.   Our goal is to strengthen the capacity to support the delivery of literacy in school and believes that when young women read or are read to, they can build the skills needed to thrive in the classroom and in life.  Our main target is the primary and junior high school students.

We are working with schools in Lower Eastern and community partners to deliver free reading-based programs that engage girl’s minds, encourage their growth, and inspire their futures via our two-part ‘Let’s Get Reading’ campaign:

• Donating books
• Story Telling