Hope Alive! Partners with READ for Life to Increase Literacy

Reading Can be Fun? Of Course!
Last November on Giving Tuesday, we launched a campaign called “Books, Bags and Brighter Futures” to get more books into the hands of our students. Thanks to our generous supporters, each of our students received a backpack and three books of their choice–for most, the first books they had ever owned. 

Equipping Teachers With Better Tools & Techniques
This was exciting, but we didn’t stop there. We’ve joined forces with a great organization called READ for Life to provide more reading opportunities and enhanced phonics instruction for our students. READ for Life is a non-profit organization in Uganda and a close partner of Hope Alive! dedicated to increasing childhood literacy. English is already a tough language to learn, and in Ugandan schools dominated by the rote memorization method of teaching, 70% of students in grades 3-7 cannot read a grade 2 story in English. READ for Life believes they can transform classrooms into places of literacy, creativity and critical thinking by giving teachers better tools to teach reading. In 2013, READ for Life began providing phonics-based teacher training to improve the teaching of reading in the primary grades. To date, Gulu-based READ for Life has trained early grade teachers in over 50 schools in the Gulu district. 



We're on the Move!
We’re excited to report that our partnership with READ for Life is expanding! In January, twelve schools and more than 60 teachers benefitted from the collaboration between Hope Alive!, READ for Life and UG2, another organization committed to serving vulnerable students in Uganda.  UG2 Ministries hired READ for Life to provide phonics instruction for preK through P3 (equivalence to 3rd grade in the United States) teachers at the schools in Koro (Gulu), Masaka, and Kyabakuza where our sponsored students attend. (Our students in Kampala did not participate, as they are in grades outside of this range). To participate in the training, school leaders agreed to continue or start phonics and read-aloud practice during their daily lessons. The teachers received top-quality phonics instruction and gained the necessary tools and techniques to enhance their teaching methods. Hope Alive!’s education specialist, Michael Seger, opened the training by reminding teachers that teaching is not only an occupation but a ministry that honors God, by making a life-changing impact on students.

Goal: Mobile Libraries Visiting Every School
In partnership with READ for Life and African Library Project, we're creating and stocking mobile libraries that will rotate among the schools Hope Alive! students attend. Four of these mobile libraries will open in May, will stay at a school site for a term (semester), and then rotate to another school site for the next term. Since the concept of recreational reading is unfamiliar to most Ugandan students, twice a week a READ for Life staff member and Hope Alive! representative will visit classrooms to lead literacy activities and teach students and teacher how to best use the books. Our goal is for each school to have 1200-1500 books available to their students over the course of a school year. 

(READ for Life staff Kevin with a mobile library. Photo courtesy of READ for Life)

Promoting Reading, Making it Fun
On March 15, Hope Alive! again partnered with READ for Life to promote literacy on DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) Day. Hope Alive! staff went into our students’ schools and led literacy initiatives, including read-aloud activities.

Small Group Instruction Yields Big Results
READ for Life also enhances the tutoring Hope Alive! provides for our students during school breaks. Eleven Masaka students worked with teachers trained by READ for Life staff over the last school break. Students' reading levels were significantly boosted, which allowed them to better enjoy their books received thanks to our Giving Tuesday donors. In addition, students in Koro have participated in academic camps led by READ for Life staff during school breaks or been tutored by graduates of the READ for Life teacher training program.

Strong Partnerships are a Win-Win for Our Schools and Students
We’re grateful for a strong partnership with READ for Life and how it has positively impacted our students. We pray this partnership will continue to empower our students and give them confidence, both in school and in their future careers. We’re excited to see the blessings of Hope Alive! expand beyond our students to benefit their schools and communities. 

The photo above shows staff protecting library books with clear shipping tape, so that they can be handled by many eager hands.

You can follow READ for Life on Instagram at @readforlifeug.