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Derrick's Story
Reading is essential for those who wish to rise above the ordinary. Kawuma Derrick is a former student who is soaring above the status quo, and he attributes much of his success to the reading that he did as a young person.
“Growing up, my father was a teacher, and because of that, I had access to books at a young age. I would get storybooks from school and read them to my father every day. Through this, I developed a reading culture that has made things easier for me. I feel like I am learned, knowledgeable, and able to express myself better because of reading.”
The majority of children in Uganda are not like Derrick; most lack access to regular reading material. In school, students are taught phonics and are taking strides towards reading fluency; but, without regular access to books, an appreciation for reading is often left undiscovered, and the benefits are often left unrealized.
Libraries are few and far between and often under-resourced. Most children have never personally owned a book, and few read for recreation. One recent study indicates that 80% of Ugandans 15 years old and above are considered illiterate, and 60% of upper primary school students lack functional reading skills.
At Hope Alive!, we are striving to create a culture of readers and are intentionally taking a number of steps towards that end. Two of our sites recently applied for and received a grant from the African Library Project that has given each site over 1000 books; they are starting libraries in their communities. At another site, we have been utilizing reading groups during school breaks to promote literacy. That is why we're focused on getting books into the hands of our students--and you can help.
Derrick came from a humble background, much like the majority of our students, but he used what he had available to him to catapult himself past the average. Today, Derrick is a university graduate and is furthering his academic achievement by pursuing a degree in Biomaterials Science at Rhine Waal University in Germany.
Derrick says, “I consider myself fortunate to have had access to books and to have developed a deep love for reading.” His life promises a lot of things–but thanks to a love for reading, “ordinary” doesn’t appear to be one of them.
“Growing up, my father was a teacher, and because of that, I had access to books at a young age. I would get storybooks from school and read them to my father every day. Through this, I developed a reading culture that has made things easier for me. I feel like I am learned, knowledgeable, and able to express myself better because of reading.”
The majority of children in Uganda are not like Derrick; most lack access to regular reading material. In school, students are taught phonics and are taking strides towards reading fluency; but, without regular access to books, an appreciation for reading is often left undiscovered, and the benefits are often left unrealized.
Libraries are few and far between and often under-resourced. Most children have never personally owned a book, and few read for recreation. One recent study indicates that 80% of Ugandans 15 years old and above are considered illiterate, and 60% of upper primary school students lack functional reading skills.
At Hope Alive!, we are striving to create a culture of readers and are intentionally taking a number of steps towards that end. Two of our sites recently applied for and received a grant from the African Library Project that has given each site over 1000 books; they are starting libraries in their communities. At another site, we have been utilizing reading groups during school breaks to promote literacy. That is why we're focused on getting books into the hands of our students--and you can help.
Derrick came from a humble background, much like the majority of our students, but he used what he had available to him to catapult himself past the average. Today, Derrick is a university graduate and is furthering his academic achievement by pursuing a degree in Biomaterials Science at Rhine Waal University in Germany.
Derrick says, “I consider myself fortunate to have had access to books and to have developed a deep love for reading.” His life promises a lot of things–but thanks to a love for reading, “ordinary” doesn’t appear to be one of them.
Fragile Families Flourishing in the Hope of Jesus!
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